Western Placer Unified approves reductions in classified services; paraprofessional pay MOU cleared
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Summary
The school board voted unanimously to adopt a resolution authorizing reductions in classified positions and approved a negotiated MOU that standardizes supplemental tiers for paraprofessionals by paying a flat retroactive rate for January and February, officials said.
The Western Placer Unified School District Board of Trustees on a unanimous roll call approved a resolution authorizing reductions in classified services and separately approved a memorandum of understanding to implement tiered stipends for paraprofessionals.
District administrator Mike Small told trustees the proposed resolution responds to current enrollment trends and fiscal constraints. He said the resolution captures a range of position eliminations and modifications and that in the current proposal nine positions filled by employees could be impacted; paraprofessional vacancies and some grant-funded roles were treated differently in the proposal. "We have determined that the following positions do need to be eliminated due to a lack of work or a lack of funds," Small said, describing bumping rights and the 39-month rehire list for affected staff.
Small said the district will work with the union to honor seniority and placement rights where possible and that some paraprofessional roles will be offered alternative paraprofessional positions when vacancies exist. He described a dual-enrollment technician position as a one-year, grant-funded role whose funding has ended.
On a separate personnel-related measure, trustees approved an MOU with the paraprofessional bargaining unit to deliver an additional-tier stipend. Because applying the add-on to base pay would require complex retroactive payroll work, Small said district staff and the union agreed to pay a uniform flat rate for affected employees for January and February to honor the financial intent without an onerous retro payroll calculation. "This is not new money," Small said. "This was just a way to figure out how to effectively and expeditiously get the money into the employees' hands that we already agreed to do."
Board members offered brief remarks expressing concern for employees and appreciation for the district's efforts to mitigate impacts. A trustee said the human element of these decisions weighs heavily and thanked staff for pursuing options to limit harm. The board approved both items by voice and roll-call votes.
What happens next: District staff said they will work with the union on implementation, offer placement where seniority allows and provide affected employees the required notices under the education code. The resolution and MOU will be implemented according to the timelines in the agreements and statutory notice requirements.