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Parents and volunteers urge transparency on supplemental bargaining contracts and open bargaining for upcoming PSC talks
Summary
Several public commenters asked the board to investigate supplemental bargaining contracts from 2023 and to allow open bargaining or public observation of upcoming PSC negotiations to restore trust after the strike and levy campaigns.
During the Feb. 25 public-comment period, community members raised concerns about supplemental bargaining contracts awarded to district negotiators in late summer 2023 and urged greater transparency for upcoming bargaining with the PSC union.
Angie Bridal told the board she and others were “frustrated by the district’s lack of accountability” after supplemental contracts totaling $31,000 for the period Aug. 1–Sept. 5, 2023, were made public. She said the contracts were “only possible to use in the event of a strike,” were signed by the superintendent at the time (John Boyd), and were not disclosed to the board until they were requested through public-records requests by parents. Bridal said the secrecy eroded stakeholder trust and asked the board to place those contracts on an agenda for public discussion.
Katharine Furdick and other commenters urged the board to repair trust following the strike and to consider open bargaining for the upcoming PSC negotiations beginning in March. Suggestions included allowing community members to observe negotiations, streaming bargaining sessions, and creating a community oversight committee to ensure transparency and good-faith bargaining.
Why it matters: Commenters framed the issue as both a fiscal and governance concern — taxpayers who approved replacement levies want assurance about how levy funds and district spending are managed. The speakers requested formal board consideration of the leaked supplemental contracts and transparency measures ahead of upcoming bargaining.
The board acknowledged the comments and several directors suggested discussing the topic at a future workshop; no formal action or vote was taken at the Feb. 25 meeting on the supplemental contracts or on open-bargaining requests.
