Classified-union leaders tell Desert Sands board eviction from district property will deplete reserves

Several leaders of Desert Sands Unified classified-employee unions told the school board on Feb. 4 that a recent district decision to remove union office space from the district site will exhaust union reserves and weaken daily collaboration between union representatives and district administrators.

“The district has evicted us from the district property,” Andrew Parra, chapter president, said during public comment, adding the chapter’s reserve would be depleted in about four years if the union must rent off-site space. “This creates a big financial hardship on our chapter.”

Ruben Frankel, second vice president of CSEA Chapter 106, said the longtime on-site office arrangement allowed daily, informal communication with personnel and administrators that helped resolve problems quickly. “More than just finances, this move disrupts the working relationship we've built with district administration,” Frankel said. He said the chapter used district-provided space for more than 14 years and that removing it would force cuts to trainings, scholarships and unity events.

Melissa Ballard, chief union steward for CSA, echoed concerns about financial strain and loss of accessibility. “By forcing us to use membership dues to rent an external office space, we are facing financial hardship that will exhaust our funds within four years,” Ballard said. She asked the board to reconsider and explore alternatives that keep the unions on district property.

Union leaders asked the board for information about who proposed and approved the move and emphasized the effect on members’ ability to access services. Andrew Parra warned that, if the chapter must increase member dues to cover rent, many members would mobilize against that change.

Board members did not take immediate action during public comment. The board’s published rules for public comment were read earlier in the meeting, including a three-minute time limit per speaker and a 20-minute total limit for public input on each item, as set out in the bylaws of the board referenced during the meeting. No district official provided a formal timeline or a written response to the comments on the record at the time speakers addressed the board.

The union speakers represented classification chapters that said they previously rented or were provided on-site space by the district for more than a decade. They asked the board to restore or replace on-site space to avoid program cuts and preserve daily collaboration that they said benefited district operations.

The board continued with its agenda after public comment without announcing a follow-up meeting or a scheduled response to the union requests.