Teachers’ union urges district to study early‑retirement incentive as a cost‑saving measure

Gabino Duenas, president of the Central Secondary Teachers Association (ECSTA), asked the board to direct district administration to reopen a SERP (School Early Retirement Program) study and said the district could realize substantial long‑term salary savings if senior certificated staff accepted voluntary early retirement incentives.
Why it matters: the union presented a numerical analysis showing that replacing long‑tenured teachers on the top salary column with new hires could lower payroll costs materially. Duenas said previous SERP proposals showed smaller savings in earlier years but that current salary differentials mean a larger opportunity today.
What was proposed: Duenas described the mechanics: offering a multiyear service credit and using CalSTRS’ payment structure (two‑year service credit often paid over several years) to smooth district costs while realizing salary‑step savings when high‑salary staff are replaced by lower‑step new hires. He showed example scenarios and said the district employs many teachers on the top salary column; he argued a SERP targeted to certificated staff could save more than $1 million a year depending on participation.
Board response and next steps: ECSTA asked the board to direct administration to commission an updated SERP study (Keenan Associates was cited as a typical consultant). Superintendent Farkas and trustees did not adopt a SERP during the meeting; supporters requested the district provide staffing and retirement data to allow a formal analysis. Duenas said prior SERP work had been prepared but not approved by a prior board and urged the board to reconsider given current budget pressures.