5.1 Approve the Tentative Agreement and related AB1200 disclosure between the Coronado Unified School District (CUSD) and the Association of Coronado Teachers (ACT).

[5.1 Approve the Tentative Agreement and related AB1200 disclosure between the Coronado Unified School District (CUSD) and the Association of Coronado Teachers (ACT).]

SORRY. ITEM 5.1, APPROVE THE TENTATIVE AGREEMENT AND RELATED AB 1200 DISCLOSURE BETWEEN CUSD AND THE ASSOCIATION OF CORONADO TEACHERS.

TO BEGIN, I'D LIKE TO SAY THAT I WISH OUR DISTRICT COULD AFFORD TO GIVE THE PAY RAISE REQUESTED.

TEACHERS DESERVE TO BE PAID MORE.

HOWEVER, AS A TRUSTEE, I HAVE A FIDUCIARY RESPONSIBILITY FOR KEEPING OUR DISTRICT SOLVENT AND MAINTAINING CORE PROGRAMS FOR OUR STUDENTS.

THE REALITY OF OUR BUDGET FROM THE BEGINNING OF THIS PROCESS IS THAT THE DISTRICT WAS LIMITED IN WHAT IT COULD AFFORD FOR SALARY NEGOTIATIONS.

I REQUESTED TO MEET WITH THE BOARD IN CLOSED SESSION THIS AFTERNOON TO DISCUSS THE TENTATIVE AGREEMENT THAT WE ARE BEING ASKED TO APPROVE THIS EVENING, BECAUSE I HAVE SERIOUS RESERVATIONS ABOUT OUR BUDGET REALITY.

I HAVE LEARNED THAT MANY OF MY COLLEAGUES ON THE DAIS SHARE THOSE QUESTIONS AND CONCERNS.

AT THE END OF LAST YEAR, THIS BOARD MADE PERSONNEL CUTS THAT RESONATED ACROSS OUR DISTRICT.

THAT IS WHY, GOING INTO NEGOTIATIONS, THE BOARD DIRECTED OUR CUSD NEGOTIATING TEAM THAT GIVEN THE BUDGET CUTS THAT NEEDED TO BE MADE LAST MARCH AND SUBSEQUENTLY THE OVERSIGHT LETTER FROM SAN DIEGO COUNTY OFFICE OF EDUCATION THIS PAST FALL ANY SALARY INCREASE BEYOND COLA MUST BE FUNDED THROUGH REDUCTIONS, EFFICIENCIES OR NEW MONEY.

OTHERWISE, ADDITIONAL CUTS WOULD BE MADE.

AND THAT'S NOT SOMETHING THAT ANY OF US WANT TO DO.

THROUGHOUT THE ENTIRE PROCESS SINCE MARCH, CUSD NEGOTIATIONS UPDATES OUTLINED A VARIETY OF CREATIVE WAYS THE DISTRICT PROPOSED TO IDENTIFY EFFICIENCIES TO IMPROVE A SALARY INCREASE ABOVE COLA.

ALL OF THESE WERE VETOED BY THE ACT NEGOTIATING TEAM.

AS WE ALL KNOW FROM THE PUBLISHED UPDATES, ACT CAME IN WITH 11% SALARY INCREASE AND ONLY MOVED TO 10% UNTIL A FEW WEEKS AGO, WHEN THEY CAME DOWN TO 4%. WE APPRECIATE THAT MOVEMENT SO MUCH THAT GOT US TO WHERE WE ARE TODAY.

HOWEVER, IT DOESN'T CHANGE THE FACT THAT WE STILL FACE A FUNDING HURDLE IN THE COMING YEARS.

OUR BUDGET CHALLENGE AND TASK REMAINS THE SAME; TO IDENTIFY EFFICIENCIES OR SOLUTIONS PRIOR TO 2027, WHILE SUSTAINING PROGRAMS AND SERVICES FOR STUDENTS. THE IMPACT OF THE TENTATIVE AGREEMENT THIS AFTERNOON INCREASES OUR BUDGET SHORTFALL FROM THE STATED -$2.3 MILLION, WHICH IS FROM TODAY TO 2027 TO $3.8 MILLION.

OUR NUMBERS AND PROJECTIONS HAVE BEEN AND CONTINUE TO BE ACCURATE.

THE BUDGET INFORMATION FROM DEPUTY SUPERINTENDENT SALAMANCA HAS BEEN NOT ONLY ACCURATE AND CONSISTENT, IT HAS BEEN VERIFIED BY THE COUNTY AND AN INDEPENDENT AUDITOR. UNFORTUNATELY, THIS NEGOTIATION CYCLE CAME WITH ADDITIONAL COSTS, STRAINED RELATIONSHIPS, DISTRUST AND TIME EITHER FROM OUR TEACHERS BEING OUT OF THEIR CLASSROOM OR ADMINISTRATORS HAVING THEIR FOCUS TAKEN AWAY FROM THEIR RESPECTIVE SITES OR

[00:05:06]

DEPARTMENTS. LEGAL FEES AND MORALE.

TO DATE, OUR LEGAL FEES FOR THIS PROCESS HAVE BEEN $26,172, AND THAT DOES NOT INCLUDE THE FEES COMING FOR OCTOBER.

MY UNDERSTANDING IS THIS PROCESS TYPICALLY COSTS AROUND 10 TO $15,000, SO WE EXPENDED SIGNIFICANT MORE LEGAL FUNDS ON THIS PROCESS.

AS WE MOVE INTO NEGOTIATIONS AGAIN THIS COMING SPRING, I WOULD URGE EVERYONE TO TAKE TIME TO REFOCUS, MEND RELATIONSHIPS, AND FIND A WAY TO COLLABORATE MOVING FORWARD. THIS PROLONGED PROCESS EXPENDED TIME AND MONEY ON BOTH SIDES THAT COULD HAVE BEEN SPENT ON OUR STUDENTS.

TO THAT END, I WOULD ASK FOR A FUTURE AGENDA ITEM TO LOOK AT TEMPLATES ON COLLABORATIVE NEGOTIATIONS AND FIGURE OUT HOW WE CAN BETTER THIS PROCESS MOVING FORWARD.

STAFF WILL PRESENT PROPOSED POTENTIAL BUDGET SOLUTIONS FROM TODAY THROUGH 2027, IN ORDER TO LAND IN BASIC AID, WITH THE REQUISITE 3% IN RESERVE IN GREATER DETAIL AT OUR DECEMBER MEETING.

THIS TENTATIVE AGREEMENT PUTS US IN A BIGGER HOLE THAN WE WERE ALREADY IN.

I KNOW THAT GOING FORWARD, WE WILL BE LOOKING AT ADDITIONAL CUTS AS EARLY AS THE DECEMBER 2024 MEETING.

I CONSIDERED NOT VOTING TO APPROVE THIS AGREEMENT.

HOWEVER, I FEEL DUE TO THAT DIFFICULT AND LENGTHY PROCESS, IT IS BETTER TO END THIS NEGOTIATION CYCLE AND MOVE FORWARD.

AND I HOPE THAT MOVING FORWARD, WE CAN REBUILD THE TRUST BETWEEN US, OUR DISTRICT STAFF, AND OUR TEACHERS.

WITH THAT, I WILL MOVE ON DOWN THE BOARD FOR TRUSTEES TO MAKE THEIR COMMENTS.

THANK YOU TRUSTEE, THAT WAS A THAT WAS A GREAT SUMMARY.

I'D LIKE TO THANK BOTH THE NEGOTIATION TEAMS. THEY DID A LOT OF HARD WORK.

I DO WANT TO POINT OUT THAT THE TEACHERS ARE THE FRONT LINE.

THEY'RE THE ONES TEACHING ALL OF OUR CHILDREN OR GRANDCHILDREN IN SOME CASES, AND THAT WE'RE GOING TO DO ALL THAT WE CAN TO COMPENSATE YOU LIKE YOU DESERVE.

YES. I'D ALSO LIKE TO THANK EVERYONE WHO WAS INVOLVED IN THIS PROCESS, AND I'M CERTAINLY GLAD THAT WE ARE ABLE TO CONSENT TO THIS TENTATIVE AGREEMENT AND MOVE FORWARD.

I DO ECHO ALL OF OR THE COMMENTS THAT PRESIDENT PALACIOS-PETERS STATED WITH REGARDS TO THE CONCERNS ABOUT THE DEFICIT THAT WE'RE GOING TO HAVE TO DEAL WITH GOING FROM 2.3 TO $3.8 MILLION.

THERE ARE GOING TO NEED TO BE EFFICIENCIES THAT WE'RE GOING TO HAVE TO ACHIEVE AS A DISTRICT THAT IN THE END, MAY BE VERY UNCOMFORTABLE.

SO WE'RE CERTAINLY WE CERTAINLY HAVE OUR WORK CUT OUT FOR US.

THE LAST THING THAT I WOULD SAY IS WITH REGARDS TO THE NEGOTIATION STRATEGIES, I'M NOT I'M NOT A NEGOTIATOR AT LEAST IN THIS, IN THIS RESPECT.

I CERTAINLY WASN'T ON, IN ON THE NEGOTIATIONS.

WE WERE BRIEFED ON THEM.

BUT WITH REGARDS TO THE ACT, I THINK IT WAS UNFORTUNATE THAT LITERALLY FROM THE VERY BEGINNING THE TEAM THERE, THEY ESSENTIALLY STATED THAT THEY WANTED TO GO TO FACT FINDING.

WHICH IS UNFORTUNATE BECAUSE IT ESSENTIALLY CREATES A DISTRUST IN THE NUMBERS.

YOU KNOW, IF YOU IF YOU WANT TO GO TO FACT FINDING, THAT MEANS YOU DON'T REALLY BELIEVE THE FACTS AS THEY ARE PRESENTED BY THE DISTRICT OR THE DEPUTY SUPERINTENDENT AND THE BUSINESS DEPARTMENT.

AND I THINK ONE OF THE GOOD THINGS FROM THIS WHOLE PROCESS HAS BEEN THAT I THINK WE WE HAVE FOUND OUT THAT OUR FACTS ARE CORRECT AND THAT THE NUMBERS THAT THE DISTRICT HAS BEEN PRESENTING HAVE BEEN VALIDATED BY THE SAN DIEGO COUNTY OFFICE OF EDUCATION BY INDEPENDENT REVIEW.

AND MY HOPE IS THAT WHEN WE START OFF NEXT YEAR ALL PARTIES WILL BE ABLE TO COME TO THE TABLE KIND OF AGREEING THAT THE NUMBERS THAT WE HAVE TO DEAL WITH ARE, IN FACT TRUE, AND WE HOPEFULLY WILL BE ABLE TO ACHIEVE AN AGREEMENT IN A MUCH MORE EXPEDITED AND OPEN MANNER AND NOT BE SITTING HERE IN THE MIDDLE OF NOVEMBER APPROVING THIS TENTATIVE AGREEMENT NEXT YEAR.

SO THANK YOU. THANK YOU VERY MUCH.

[00:10:04]

I ABSOLUTELY ECHO MY COLLEAGUE'S STATEMENTS.

THROUGHOUT THIS PROCESS, I HAVE I HAVE BEEN DISTRESSED.

I KNOW, I KNOW, MANY OF OUR TEACHERS HAVE BEEN DISTRESSED.

I KNOW MANY OF OUR STAFF IN THE DISTRICT OFFICE HAVE BEEN DISTRESSED.

THIS WAS RANCOROUS AND UNPLEASANT, AND I JUST WANT TO OFFER THE IDEA THAT THERE ARE SOLUTIONS.

THERE IS HOPE.

THERE ARE MANY DISTRICTS THROUGHOUT THE STATE WHO HAVE BEEN THROUGH THIS AND HAVE COME UP WITH REALLY COLLABORATIVE VISIONS AND PROCEDURES AND TEMPLATES AND PROCESSES TO MAKE NEGOTIATIONS BETTER.

AND I JUST REALLY ENCOURAGE MY COLLEAGUES AND AND FUTURE BOARD MEMBERS TO LOOK AT SOME OF THESE OPTIONS AND MAYBE YOU KNOW, MEETING OF THE MINDS CAN OCCUR BEFORE NEGOTIATIONS BEGIN AS TO IN TERMS OF THE GROUND RULES AND MAYBE A SHARED SET OF FACTS FROM WHICH TO OPERATE, BECAUSE IT IS POSSIBLE.

AND, YOU KNOW, MAYBE TO GET THERE, WE HAD TO GO THROUGH SOME PAINFUL LESSONS.

BUT I'M GLAD WE ARE WHERE WE ARE.

I HOPE THE REDUCTIONS THAT HAVE TO BE MADE ARE DON'T HURT OUR STUDENTS.

AND I KNOW EVERYONE.

I TRUST THAT EVERYONE FROM EVERY TEACHER AND EVERY ONE OF OUR NEGOTIATORS WERE ACTING WITH THE BEST OF INTENTIONS AND GOOD FAITH.

AND I THINK IF WE HAVE THE IF YOU HAVE THE RIGHT PEOPLE ON YOUR TEAMS, WE'RE GOING TO GET TO A GOOD PLACE.

AND SO I JUST WANT TO OFFER THAT MESSAGE OF HOPE AND ENCOURAGEMENT.

AND WE CAN LEARN FROM THIS.

THANK YOU.

[INAUDIBLE] I'D LIKE TO ADD THAT THE LABOR NEGOTIATION PROCESS IS A REALLY IMPORTANT ONE.

I'M GLAD THAT WE HAVE TEACHERS WHO ARE WILLING TO SERVE IN THAT CAPACITY.

HAVING THIS OPPORTUNITY GIVES TEACHERS AN ACTIVE VOICE IN WHAT'S HAPPENING ON THEIR CAMPUSES AND AND WITH THEIR JOBS.

I'M HOPEFUL THAT WE HAVE A MORE COLLABORATIVE WORKING RELATIONSHIP NEXT TIME, I THINK THAT'S REALLY IMPORTANT.

I DON'T THINK THAT LABOR NEGOTIATION, THE PROCESS OF LABOR NEGOTIATIONS IS ANYONE'S MOST FAVORITE TIME OF THE YEAR.

BUT IT CAN BE MORE HOPEFULLY MORE MORE COLLABORATIVE AND MORE PRODUCTIVE NEXT TIME.

THANK YOU TRUSTEES, DO WE HAVE A MOTION ON ITEM 5.1? MOTION BY TRUSTEE CAVANAUGH.

IS THERE A SECOND? SECOND.

CALL FOR THE VOTE.

ALL THOSE IN FAVOR? ANY OPPOSED? ALL RIGHT. MOTION PASSES 5 TO 0.

IS THERE A MOTION TO ADJOURN? SO MOVED. SECOND.

ALL RIGHT. ALL THOSE IN FAVOR? WE ARE ADJOURNED.

THANK YOU.

* This transcript was compiled from uncorrected Closed Captioning.

Nov 18, 2024 Special School Board

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