Board approves labor deals, budget and facilities master plan; declines immediate action on SRO contract

The Pacific Grove Unified School District Board of Education on June 11 approved multiple labor agreements, adopted the 2025‑26 budget, and adopted a finalized facilities master plan and related contracts — while postponing final action on the district’s school resource officer (SRO) arrangement.

Trustees voted to adopt multi‑year tentative agreements with their bargaining units after public hearings. Buck Rogemann, the district’s chief human resources officer and lead negotiator, told the board the Pacific Grove Teachers Association (PGTA) agreed to take “no compensation increase” for the 2024‑25 year and that the district and union negotiated increases for the two subsequent years: a 2% salary adjustment and a 0.5% health‑and‑welfare increase in 2025‑26 and 2026‑27. The board later voted to ratify the tentative agreement.

Key votes and outcomes - Tentative agreement with Pacific Grove Teachers Association (PGTA): approved (vote reported as 4–0). The district’s negotiator noted PGTA accepted 0% for 2024‑25 and a three‑year agreement covering adjustments in later years. - Tentative agreement with California School Employees Association (CSEA) Chapter 229: approved (vote reported as 4–0); CSEA also accepted a 0% increase in 2024‑25 with the 2%/0.5% pattern in subsequent years. - Classified and certificated management agreement (compensation alignment): approved (4–0). - Adult education instructor group agreement: approved (4–0). - Adopted budget for fiscal year 2025‑26: approved (4–0). Assistant Superintendent John (presenting) reported a projected combined operating deficit of $1,037,535 and projected reserve level of 6.9%; the district will present a revised adopted budget in October after unaudited actuals are available. - Resolution recognizing Juneteenth (Res. 1160): approved (4–0). - Facilities master plan (final): approved (4–0). The MGT‑prepared plan organizes projects into priority 1 (health, safety, infrastructure), priority 2 (programmatic modernization) and priority 3 (longer‑term educational‑adequacy improvements). The board directed staff to pursue state matching funds and to form an internal facilities subcommittee and an external citizens’ bond oversight committee. - Architect‑of‑record contract (Derivi Castellanos Architects): contract approved (4–0); board authorized initial amendment to begin programming and design for priority 1 projects. - Program/construction management contract (Asonio / program manager): approved (4–0). - Other contract approvals tied to Measure D/B and operations: KBA DocuSys copier services contract (approved 4–0), ProX Construction (Measure D restroom and exterior repairs at a campus noted in the FMP; approved 4–0), and several Measure B project authorizations.

School resource officer contract: no final action Board discussion on the SRO contract was prolonged and divided. Chief Casey Day of the Pacific Grove Police Department provided a recorded statement describing the SRO role as aligned to the National Association of School Resource Officers’ four‑part mission — caregiver, educator, informal counselor and law enforcer — and stating the department will provide biannual data and no cost increase for the contract term.

Several trustees voiced strong concerns and asked for clearer data and narrower scope limits: Trustee McNary and Trustee Schamas pushed for program evaluation, transparency and limits on traffic duties, discipline involvement and private meetings. Trustee Wax and Trustee Schloss described national research and cost concerns, questioned the evidence base for SROs reducing serious incidents, and urged exploring alternatives (school‑based mental health and campus supervisors). The board did not vote to renew the existing SRO contract at this meeting and directed staff to return with options — including alternative models, site prioritization and specific data reporting measures — before making a final decision.

Other operational items and job descriptions The board approved job descriptions and personnel housekeeping measures, including adding a Board‑Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA) job description (funded by supplanting existing contract services) and a site‑based education specialist job description; trustees agreed to include early learning (TK/UPK) language in the postings.

Procedural notes and follow up - The board moved multiple consent items and approved the consent agenda after pulling two items for separate action (Monterey Bay Charter lease amendment and a Wunderwoofs contract for drug‑sniffing dogs). The Wunderwoofs contract passed 3–1 (Trustee Wax opposed); board members asked staff to track program evaluations of that service and consider alternative approaches to drug detection and student privacy. - The board adopted the updated board calendar, changed the June 26 meeting to a regular meeting, and asked staff to bring school safety alternatives and program‑evaluation policy language to the policy committee.

Meeting clarifying details - The facilities master plan cites a districtwide utilization of about 80% and includes cost estimating with escalation; trustees asked staff to pursue state matching funds (Prop 2/Office of Public School Construction) where eligible. - The superintendent and staff repeatedly said many items would return with more detailed scope, drawings and cost estimates once the architect and program manager engage in programming and design phases.

The board directed staff to bring back: (a) clear SRO reporting metrics and site‑prioritized alternatives; (b) program evaluation policy language for new initiatives; and (c) details on how Measure D remaining funds and Measure B programming will be sequenced and matched with state dollars. No new SRO contract will be executed until the board receives those options and data.