San Rafael teachers union urges protections for classroom jobs as budget cuts loom
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Summary
Morgan Agnew, president of the San Rafael Federation of Teachers, told the board the union accepts the need to reduce district expenses but said certificated staff are not the driver of the deficit and any reductions to teachers’ share must be negotiated, not imposed; union called for administrative cuts and department reductions instead.
Morgan Agnew, president of the San Rafael Federation of Teachers, addressed the board by Zoom before the board’s budget discussion, urging trustees to avoid unilateral cuts to certificated staff and to seek savings outside the classroom. “Our bargaining unit will make our contributions to solve the deficit, but we are emphatically not part of the problem,” Agnew said.
Agnew acknowledged the district must reduce expenses to balance the budget but argued certificated compensation—while the largest budget item—has remained a fairly constant share and was decreased by cuts in 2025. He pressed trustees to propose alternatives such as reductions at the district office, cuts to travel and consulting, and departmental 5% reduction targets rather than immediate layoffs.
The union leader also reminded the board that the district’s “fair share” framework anticipates the unit’s share remain stable and that any changes to that share should be negotiated. “Any reductions to our unit’s share are meant to remain negotiated, not imposed unilaterally,” he said.
Trustees heard related remarks from Molly O’Donoghue of the Center for Teachers Association, who said cuts should be distributed so they “do not overwhelmingly impact our certificated SRT educators” and that reductions should be informed by collective data from budget advisory meetings.
The board did not take immediate action on the budget at this meeting; staff noted two remaining budget advisory committee meetings are scheduled before a final package is presented at a future regular meeting.
