Teachers, union and community press Washington Unified on pay and health care during packed public-comment session
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Summary
Union leaders, teachers, parents and students told the board that health‑care costs and rising benefit premiums are pushing experienced educators to resign; speakers criticized a district graphic portraying a 16.9% pay increase as misleading and urged a fair settlement in negotiations.
The Washington Unified School District board heard extended testimony that framed compensation and health‑care coverage as the most urgent issues facing its educators. WSTA leadership told trustees the district’s communications about a 16.9% pay increase since 2019 omitted context about inflation and rising benefit costs and urged the board to settle bargaining to retain staff.
During the public‑comment block, veterans and current teachers described the financial strain of district insurance premiums. Marlena Schroeder Spivey, a 17‑year River City High School teacher, said she pays roughly $18,181 a year for Kaiser coverage for her family and that rate represents about 17.48% of her household budget; she called for "affordable benefits, competitive pay and transparency." Andrew (Andy) Hook, a River City math teacher, said district statistical tables and a 16.9% figure were presented in a way that could mislead the public because the metrics and denominators were not fully explained.
Multiple public commenters described recent resignations and staff departures they attribute to health‑care and compensation gaps. Students and parents urged the board to prioritize retention to preserve programs such as music and marching band. The board acknowledged the concerns and reiterated that bargaining and budget study sessions are ongoing; Superintendent Dr. Hildreth thanked speakers for advocacy and said staff will continue to engage with unions and community members.
What the board did: the board conducted a public hearing on the "sunshine" bargaining proposals and later voted to accept the CSEA sunshine proposals to open articles on leave, duty hours, salary and benefits; the formal WSTA negotiations were discussed in reports and public comment but no contract was adopted at this meeting.
Claims and responses noted in the meeting: several speakers labeled the district’s communications as "misleading" and asked for line‑item budget transparency; district leadership reiterated that figures presented were state‑funding specific and encouraged stakeholders to participate in upcoming finance subcommittee and budget study sessions.
Next steps: the board approved the procedural sunshine filings that allow formal negotiations to proceed and scheduled budget study and bargaining follow‑up work; staff will provide additional budget materials and the finance subcommittee will meet as advertised.