PGUSD approves temporary half‑hour reduction for adult‑school career technician

The Pacific Grove Unified School District board on Nov. 20 approved a side‑letter agreement with the California School Employees Association to temporarily reduce the daily assignment for one career technician at the PG Adult School from eight hours to seven and a half hours.

District staff told the board the adjustment is a temporary schedule change tied to the current incumbent and that if the employee leaves the district the position will remain an eight‑hour job. Staff said the reduction is expected to save $5,655 in the current fiscal year. “This is a temporary reduction in the assignment,” district staff said during the presentation, noting the 8‑hour allocation will be preserved if circumstances change.

Trustees asked about precedent and whether the change would invite similar requests from other employees. One trustee said the item felt "odd" because it affected a single employee and asked what would prevent other employees from seeking schedule adjustments. District staff responded that flexible scheduling has occurred in the past and the side‑letter formalizes a process to work with CSEA and the district when adjustments are needed.

A motion to approve the side‑letter was made and seconded by board members and the board voted unanimously to adopt the agreement, 5‑0.

The agreement contains no fixed end date; district staff said that if operational needs later require the additional half hour the district would work with the employee and CSEA to either restore the hours or arrange temporary coverage.

The approval was procedural and limited to the side‑letter under consideration; no changes to district salary schedules or permanent position allocations were described at the meeting.

What’s next: The board approved the side‑letter at the meeting; staff said the district will continue to use the side‑letter process with CSEA when schedule adjustments are requested and will bring similar items forward as needed.