ACCESS teachers press Orange County board for raises as contract talks remain at impasse
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Summary
ACCESS and other OCDE certificated staff urged the Orange County Board of Education to address teacher pay during public comment, citing growing reserves and annual interest income; OCDE finance staff said much of the money is restricted and warned against budgeting ongoing raises on volatile interest earnings.
ACCESS and other OCDE teachers used the board’s public‑comment period to press trustees for higher pay and to call attention to what they said were large OCDE reserves and interest earnings.
"OCDE's publicly available financial documents show that the department maintains substantial reserves," said an ACCESS teacher speaking during public comment, adding that "the budget book shows OCDE generates approximately 19,300,000 annually in interest." Several speakers said the reserves and interest income show capacity to invest in certificated staff and described the personal and classroom pressures that make competitive pay essential.
Board members and staff did not make any compensation decisions at the meeting. Dave (last name not specified in public remarks), OCDE’s finance director, told trustees that some of the figures cited in public comment were accurate as to interest income but noted that the agency’s reserves include large restricted accounts. "When you look at our total reserves for our County Office, it is north of about $400,000,000," he said, and cautioned that interest income is projected to decline: "there's a good chance that amount is going to be reduced significantly over time." He also said interest earned on restricted grant balances must remain within those programs.
Teachers at the mic argued that recent raises and cost‑of‑living adjustments have favored administrative and classified staff while leaving certificated teachers behind. "We're not asking for extraordinary increases, we're asking for equity," said an ACCESS teacher who described decades of classroom service working with probation youth and other high‑need students.
Board members acknowledged the concerns. Trustees and staff explained that salary negotiations with certificated staff are a matter of collective bargaining and that the board cannot discuss certain negotiation details in public while the parties are in impasse and mediation. OCDE staff said they had provided an FAQ and that negotiations were continuing. The board also heard requests to examine salary schedules countywide and to consider whether entry‑level steps should be increased to improve recruitment.
What happens next: the collective‑bargaining process continues; trustees asked staff for comparative salary analyses and emphasized a desire for transparency about how one‑time interest or reserve earnings are treated versus ongoing revenues.
