Teachers, union and community press Board as negotiations move to impasse over safety, class size and pay

Hundreds of residents, educators and Mesa Valley Education Association (MVEA) members used the Board of Education’s public‑comment period to press for contract language on student and staff safety, enforceable class‑size limits and the restoration of step increases in the licensed salary schedule. Dozens spoke; many said the district and board had not been negotiating with educators in person and that the district initiated an impasse.

Carrie Hicks, a second‑grade teacher, told the board she supported MVEA’s negotiated language on safety and asked the board to “honor covered employees' steps this year,” adding that a one‑time payment would make teachers “worse off” than maintaining step movement. Hicks said the step increases are not a bonus but part of the salary structure that…