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Teachers press board for higher pay and staffing after multiple resignations; union urges strategic salary plan
Summary
Local union leaders and many teachers told the board that low wages and rising benefits costs are driving resignations and that the district must prioritize compensation to recruit and retain staff.
Teachers, union representatives and multiple district staff urged the Washington Unified School District board on April 10 to prioritize compensation and staffing after several speakers said low pay and rising healthcare costs have pushed educators to accept positions in neighboring districts.
The Washington Schools Teachers Association (WSTA) representatives told the board their members face a competitive market across the river in Sacramento and elsewhere, and they endorsed a bargaining push for a strategic plan to close pay gaps.
"West Sacramento students can no longer wait for the education they deserve," said Douglas Knapp, identified in remarks as WSTA president, in a presentation that framed compensation, caseload caps and stable staffing as the union’s core priorities. Steven Weese, the bargaining chair, presented comparative salary data and argued the district’s salary progression and benefits lag local peers.
Teachers who spoke during public comment described a steady stream of departures and personal financial strain. Haley Tushar, a fourth‑grade teacher at Stonegate Elementary, told the board she could earn $10,000–$17,000 more at neighboring districts and that large class sizes and elevated special‑education needs had increased daily workloads. "I need to know that the district values me and the work I do," she said.
Several speakers said benefit cost increases — especially health insurance — are a major factor. Patrick Tomic, a sixth‑grade teacher who said he submitted his resignation to accept a Sacramento City Unified position, told trustees his family would see hundreds of thousands of dollars in relative lifetime costs if he stayed in WUSD.
Union leaders and staff recommended short‑ and medium‑term measures, including a financial commitment to improve compensation, targeted recruitment incentives for hard‑to‑fill positions (paraprofessionals, SDC and RSP teachers, school psychologists, SLPs) and improved budget transparency on travel and consulting expenditures cited by union speakers.
Ending: Trustees acknowledged the urgency and directed staff and the district budget office to continue dialogue with unions and return with options; no board action was adopted that evening beyond the regular consent and action items on the agenda.
