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Classified unions press district on paraeducator pay, turnover and YCCA spending
Summary
CSEA and union representatives urged Washington Unified to address paraeducator wages, high turnover and the distribution of funds under a YCCA memorandum of understanding. Union leaders asked the district to prioritize spending for students and to involve negotiators on classification impacts.
Classified employee leaders and district labor representatives urged Washington Unified School District leadership on Jan. 23 to take steps to address paraeducator pay, high turnover in special education support roles and questions about how funds from a YCCA memorandum-of-understanding are being spent.
CSEA President Gandara told the board the district's contract extension for a YCCA position runs through June 30 and questioned whether the funds are reaching students. "I'd like to see the money spent on students because a lot of this breakdown ' ' is adults," Gandara said, and provided the MOU service numbers reported to the union: 116 families served, 103 caregivers (parents/grandparents), 8 students over 18 and 5 staff members, for a total of 157 services reported.
Representatives of the Washington Schools Employees (WSE) union echoed retention concerns and framed wages as the key factor. "We pay them on average $18 an hour," the WSE speaker said, adding that in the current labor market fast food and other jobs offer comparable pay with fewer responsibilities. WSE leaders urged the board and HR to prioritize special education paraeducators in future compensation work.
Union discussion and requests Board members and union leaders discussed several related points: the need for a complete site-level breakdown of YCCA services; the appropriate bargaining channel for matters that affect classified job classifications; and the district-wide problem of retaining paraeducators for demanding special education assignments. CSEA's speaker asked to meet with negotiators before the June 30 MOU expiration.
District context and next steps WSE representatives asked the board to compare compensation not only with nearby rural districts but with urban peers across the river, naming Sacramento-area districts as the primary competition for staff. Board members requested that staff provide the YCCA service breakdowns and said they expected the district's labor negotiators to be involved in any changes affecting classified work.
No formal board action was taken; the item was a report and public comment period focused on staffing, compensation and contract oversight.
