Classified staff say September pay withheld after strike; speakers call for accountability and restored pay

Classified staff and parents told the Evergreen Public Schools Board of Directors on Sept. 23 that many classified employees did not receive September pay after the recent strike and called that action an unfair labor practice.

Multiple public commenters described staff who missed rent or utilities and urged the district to make employees whole. “Your district bargaining team has refused to pay its employees for September, which is an unfair labor practice and a violation of our contract,” Dana Druck, a classified employee and parent, told the board. James Watson Hughes, a bus driver, said the start of the school year had been “crazy” and called withholding pay “crazy,” adding that when the district does not pay staff it undermines retention.

Speakers described attempts to find administrative workarounds and said some payroll or supplemental payments had been processed for administrators on off cycles in the past. Rebecca Goldman read a statement on behalf of a special-education parent who said supplemental pay for some employees in earlier years was processed on an off cycle while classified staff waited.

Speakers from union and parent groups said the November strike followed repeated breakdowns in bargaining and requested that the board take steps to restore trust, including paying staff according to the collective bargaining agreement, conducting an independent review of bargaining and communication practices, and publicly acknowledging the district’s role in the conflict. “If you truly want to repair it, start with the right tool, accountability, because hope without accountability is just wishful thinking,” Rebecca Goldman said.

Monique Cooper said the district had “made a choice to not pay the classified staff in accordance with labor law and with our collective bargaining agreement” and urged the board to stop messaging that placed sole blame on the union. Several speakers asked how the district planned to recruit and retain staff when employees fear retaliation and unsteady pay.

Superintendent Maloney’s earlier public remarks said she remained “confident in our school principals and associate principals” and that staff across departments are serving students. The superintendent acknowledged the concerns raised and said the district would present TLE updates and other information at future board meetings; she did not announce a board vote or a payroll resolution at the meeting.

Board members heard multiple personal accounts of hardship and asked for follow-up. No formal board action to change payroll processes or to retroactively pay staff was recorded on the meeting minutes; several public commenters and board members called for the district to make payment and communication changes as a first step toward reconciliation.