Board approves consent calendar and tentative teachers— agreement; initial proposal to reopen classified contract approved

The Los Altos School District Board of Trustees approved several routine and labor-related items at its meeting, including the consent calendar and a tentative collective-bargaining agreement with the Los Altos Teachers Association (LATA).

Consent calendar and public comment A parent, speaking about the consent calendar—s item regarding an interdistrict memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Palo Alto Unified School District, urged the board to postpone approval so the MOU could be amended to extend eligibility beyond sixth grade to include grades 7 and 8. The parent argued that moving students after sixth grade harms continuity at a critical developmental time and asked the board to delay the item so parents could seek an extension. Board members replied that approving Palo Alto—s MOU now would not foreclose future efforts to amend transfer agreements and that staff would follow up on the request. The consent calendar was then approved on a motion and voice vote.

Teachers association tentative agreement After a presentation by Melissa Powell, identified in the meeting as the chief negotiator for LATA, trustees voted unanimously to approve the tentative agreement between the district and the Los Altos Teachers Association. The board—s motion to adopt the tentative agreement was made by Trustee Vladimir and seconded by Trustee Stella; the chair called for the vote and announced the motion passed unanimously. Chief negotiator Powell and district negotiators described the process as collaborative and said the agreement raised starting and top-of-scale salaries to improve recruitment and retention. The presentation noted AB 1200 disclosures were prepared and the business office had updated salary schedules.

Classified employees initial proposals The board also approved the initial proposals filed by the district to reopen the 2022-25 collective bargaining agreement with the California School Employees Association Chapter 103 (the classified employees). The board approved the district—s initial proposal on a motion and second. District staff said the parties had held an initial session to review financial information and expected to continue collaborative bargaining.

Other public statements An on-campus employee speaker, representing the teachers— union, called on the board to review district policies to ensure inclusivity and to oppose censorship, specifically urging support for LGBTQIA+ students and staff and asking the board to revise policies to protect academic freedom. A parent speaker also urged the board to create a local special-education advisory committee after describing large achievement gaps between students with Individualized Education Programs and their peers; trustees said the commentary was important and discussed bringing the topic back for future study or as an agenda item.

Votes at a glance - Motion to approve the consent calendar (including the interdistrict MOU with Palo Alto Unified School District): motion made by Trustee Vladimir, seconded by Trustee Stella; outcome: approved (voice vote). No roll-call tally was recorded in the public record. - Motion to approve the tentative agreement with the Los Altos Teachers Association (LATA): motion made by Trustee Vladimir, seconded by Trustee Stella; outcome: approved unanimously (voice vote). The district noted AB 1200 disclosures and county approvals were prepared. - Motion to approve the Los Altos School District initial proposal to reopen the 2022-25 agreement with CSEA Chapter 103: motion made and seconded; outcome: approved (voice vote). No roll-call tally was recorded in the public record.

The board—s approvals were taken by voice vote with no roll-call tallies provided on the transcript. Where counts or exact vote recordings were not stated on the record, the minutes reflect the announced outcomes rather than individual recorded votes. Where staff described implementation steps (payroll dates and retroactive payments associated with the teachers— agreement), staff said exact payroll dates and retro payments would be processed by payroll staff and would be reflected in upcoming payroll runs.

Implementation notes District staff said the updated teacher salary schedule would appear in payroll on the next payroll cycle (the presentation indicated end-of-February pay dates) and that retroactive payments would be processed on a subsequent paycheck in March with retroactive coverage back to July 1 (as described by district staff in the meeting). Trustees authorized staff to complete the procedural steps required for recordkeeping, AB 1200 disclosures and county approval.