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Board approves NorCal School of the Arts contract after teachers raise unpaid timesheet concerns
Summary
The board approved a 10‑week, in‑school NorCal School of the Arts residency using Educator Effectiveness grant funds, but a Stonegate drama teacher publicly said she has unpaid timesheets and feared the contract would not address staffing or payment issues for existing teachers; trustees asked staff for clarity on deliverables and post‑contract evaluation.
Trustees approved a contract with NorCal School of the Arts to provide up to 40 ten‑week in‑school theater residencies funded by the district’s Educator Effectiveness grant, while acknowledging community concern about staff payment and program continuity.
What happened: Staff said the contract is a professional‑learning model in which NorCal teaching artists work with teachers in participating classrooms; the service is paid from grant funds that must be used before the funding period ends. Staff reported 33 teacher sign‑ups across seven sites and said they would continue outreach to fill available slots.
Public concern and teacher testimony: Krista Vlasic, Stonegate Elementary drama teacher, testified publicly that she has not had her timesheets paid for six months and said her program’s rehearsals were canceled as a result. "Approving an expensive contract when my own time sheets have not been fulfilled in 6 months to run this program is extremely unacceptable," Vlasic told trustees. Vlasic said her program directly serves about 100 students after school at no cost to families.
Board discussion and follow up: Trustees pressed staff for details on the contract scope, teacher sign‑up distribution (Riverbank had the highest sign‑ups), how outcomes will be measured, and how the program will be extended equitably across sites. Staff and trustees agreed to add measurement and reporting as a contract protocol and to follow up on outstanding payroll/timesheet issues raised by teachers before or shortly after program start.
Why it matters: Teachers and trustees framed the contract as potentially valuable for classroom capacity building and SEL through arts integration, but several trustees said incoming contracts should not supplant or ignore existing in‑district staff capacity or unresolved payment issues.
Next steps: Staff will clarify deliverables, provide a post‑contract outcomes report and update the board on payroll/timesheet corrections for affected teachers.
