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Union presses Carpinteria Unified on transparency, alleged policy non-implementation and stalled bargaining
Summary
Employee union leaders used multiple public-comment slots to criticize the district for inconsistent implementation of policies, alleged misuse of the consent agenda, delayed bargaining and what the union called high legal spending directed at employee matters. The board heard the comments but proceeded with agenda votes.
Union leaders addressed the board multiple times on Sept. 10, urging clearer implementation of board policies, more transparent payroll and consent-agenda practices, and action on outstanding collective-bargaining issues.
The union speaker, who identified themself as the employee union president during public comment, criticized the district—or leaving a thick binder of policies for staff to sign as "training" and for inconsistent enforcement. The speaker urged the board to move beyond paper policy to concrete implementation steps and to explain what "training" actually entails for employees required to attest they reviewed policies.
The union also accused the district of misusing the consent agenda to limit public participation and asked why routine payroll information, including administrative and certificated/classified salary details, had been omitted from the consent materials.
On bargaining, union leadership said stalled negotiations had included canceled bargaining sessions, limited meeting availability and delays in responding to legal information requests. The union said it declared impasse in June and received confirmation from the Public Employment Relations Board. The speaker alleged the district approved salary increases for some administrators while offering teachers and support staff smaller raises.
The union raised specific compensation figures in public comment, citing Superintendent Rigby nd other administrators' salaries as examples of where transparency is lacking. These salary figures and assertions were made by the union speaker during public comment and were not separately verified in the meeting record.
Board action during the same meeting included first readings of Board Policy 4033 (lactation accommodation) and Board Policy 5146 (married, pregnant and parenting students). After public comment urging proactive notice to mothers and clearer site-level lactation locations, trustees moved the policies forward as first readings. Several routine consent items also passed during the meeting.
The union indicated it will continue follow-up correspondence and said it plans to revisit these issues at future board meetings. No formal board rebuttal or change in practice was announced at the Sept. 10 meeting.
