Desert Sands HVAC technicians seek reclassification after five-year delay; trustees ask for status report

A Desert Sands Unified School District HVAC technician told the board Tuesday that classified maintenance employees have been waiting about five years for a requested job reclassification and pay-range change, and trustees asked district staff to provide a status report. "During this time, we submitted for a reclassification. What happened with our reclassification? I don't know. It fell through the cracks. It's 5 years now, and still we're waiting for a reclassification," said Cleveland Watts, who identified himself as an HVAC technician at the district. Watts told trustees that job descriptions have not been updated for more than two decades, that EPA changes and new responsibilities have changed the work, and that a local memorandum of understanding did not resolve the reclassification issue for technicians. He said other classifications such as plumbers and mechanics had range increases but technicians were still awaiting formal reclassification. Trustee comments later in the meeting indicated board members want more information. Trustee Pierce asked for "some type of report or feedback on a reclassification request, like... some kind of report on where they are," and Trustee Alvarez said status on the HVAC reclassification was one of his items as well. The public comment and trustees' requests resulted in a direction to staff to prepare a status update on the HVAC reclassification process and to include that information in a future Friday letter to the board. No formal vote or negotiated settlement was announced at the meeting. Why this matters: Classified maintenance staff support operations at roughly 30 district schools; a reclassification could change pay ranges, recruitment and retention. Clarifying details offered at the meeting included an employee's statement that the reclassification request was first submitted about five years ago and that job descriptions had been in place for 20-plus years. The speaker asked for union support from CSEA and said agreed procedures under the CSEA memorandum of understanding had not been followed, but did not provide a specific timeline for resolution. What happens next: Trustees requested a report and the superintendent's office was asked to include a status update in a Friday letter to the board.