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MEDEA president alerts board to rising adverse working‑conditions reports and staffing losses
Summary
The president of MEDEA, the district’s educators’ association, reported more than 90 adverse working‑conditions submissions and noted more than 23 resignations/retirements on the meeting agenda, urging the district to address HVAC, staffing and teacher retention amid contract negotiations.
Linda Ortega, president of MEDEA (Mount Diablo Educators Association), addressed the board during public comment on Feb. 12 to raise concerns about working conditions, staffing and communication with district managers.
Ortega said adverse working‑conditions submissions had increased to more than 90 since her last report. She described classroom temperature variability affecting students and said members were still waiting for district plans to repair HVAC systems. Ortega noted more than 23 educators were listed as resigning or retiring on the current personnel agenda and asked who would replace them, citing recruitment and retention as urgent issues to be addressed in ongoing negotiations with the district.
She also recounted a recent meeting in which she felt pressured to "be nice" to a district manager while representing a member she said had been mistreated by a site administrator; Ortega said her role as union president requires her to speak out when members are treated disrespectfully.
Ortega thanked trustees for attending outreach events and acknowledged some district support for classroom grants, but urged greater responsiveness on HVAC, staffing and dispute resolution.
Her remarks were recorded in public comment; the board and superintendent noted negotiations are ongoing and pointed to human resources materials and upcoming job fairs to support recruitment.
