Woodland teachers' union warns of staffing crisis, rejects contract extension tied to modest pay increase

Peter Lasko, a second-grade teacher and president of the Woodland Federation of Teachers, addressed the Woodland Community Consolidated School District 50 board during citizen statements on April 24, saying the district faces a "staffing challenge" driven by long-term low pay.

"We have an abundance of open positions," Lasko told the board. He said the union had rejected a district offer that combined a modest pay increase with a one-year extension of the current contract: "We said no to that option because it wasn't enough to fix this problem and because it attached the unnecessary, unproductive, and punitive condition of extending our contract." Lasko said 96% of voting teachers and staff rejected the extension.

Lasko said Woodland's pay ranks near or at the bottom when compared with neighboring districts and that the limited district offer would not make Woodland competitive for qualified candidates. He urged the board to use reserves to prioritize staffing, recruit permanent qualified employees rather than temporary contractors, and avoid measures that erode bargaining rights.

Board members did not take immediate action on the concerns during the public comment period; administration and the board acknowledged the statement with a brief exchange but no substantive response in the meeting transcript. The district's consent agenda that followed included items related to staffing and positions (for example, approval of employment, resignations, substitutes and an additional special education resource teacher at the elementary level), which were approved as part of the consent agenda vote the board carried 6–0.

Lasko warned that continuing the status quo could turn current staffing gaps into a larger crisis as more teachers retire or leave for higher pay elsewhere. He concluded by urging the board to invest in hiring and retention instead of offering short-term measures he described as "Band-Aid" fixes.