Teachers, classified staff press Washington Unified board on pay and bargaining as negotiations continue

Dozens of current and former Washington Unified staff and union representatives used the board’s public‑comment period on May 22 to urge the district to negotiate higher pay and to explain why many educators are leaving or considering leaving.

West Sacramento Teachers Association Vice President Jessica Paget told the board the union rejects the notion that a lack of available bargaining dates shows reluctance to reach agreement. "Bargaining dates are typically chosen months in advance so that the working teachers on our bargaining team have enough time to block out those dates," Paget said. She recounted past budget developments and said district leaders had misled staff about available funds; Paget described a prior budget “overage” of $16 million that WSTA members say was placed in a budget‑stability reserve and questioned why additional increases were not made available to staff.

Multiple classroom teachers said the district’s current pay scale is forcing staff to consider leaving or to accept second jobs. River City High School and district teachers described classmates and colleagues leaving for neighboring districts that pay as much as $16,000 more, and they said the district’s most recent counteroffer — 2% per year for two years — was inadequate to match cost‑of‑living increases. "This is not a raise," said Andrew Pegg, a teacher who calculated that a 2% offer is less than the consumer price index increase the past year.

A string of speakers described the consequences on programs: Sarah Bowling, who coaches the CREST engineering program, said teacher departures are eroding extracurricular offerings and warned she expects to lose staff due to pay constraints. Several speakers asked the board to consider re‑allocating reserves or to negotiate a higher salary schedule to retain experienced staff.

The California School Employees Association (CSEA) president (Gandara) and CSEA representatives also thanked classified staff and said bargaining continues; CSEA reported recent counteroffers on salary and benefits.

Why it matters: Teachers and classified employees are central to district operations. Speakers argued that inadequate compensation leads to turnover, larger class sizes, and lost extracurricular programs. The board did not take action on bargaining items this evening but acknowledged public comments and heard multiple staff accounts of retention pressures.

Speakers on record at the May 22 meeting included teachers and union leaders who said they will continue to press for a larger settlement in upcoming bargaining sessions.