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Teachers and union representative urge Claremont Unified to address rising health-care costs; one speaker says he will oppose bond
Summary
A Claremont Faculty Association speaker and teacher David Sawhill urged the board to address increasing employee health-care contributions and declining morale; Sawhill said he will not support a district bond until staff health-care impacts are resolved.
During the public comment period, a representative of the Claremont Faculty Association described declining educator morale tied to rising health-care costs, inflation and heavier workloads, and urged the board to prioritize employee conditions during upcoming bargaining.
Later, David Sawhill (an 18-year Claremont resident and Claremont High School teacher) told the board a recent notice about higher employee health-care contributions will reduce take-home pay for many staff and is regressive in effect: "For some employees, rent increases are outpacing inflation... For our classified staff with the lowest wages, it can be as much as 8%." He said he has historically supported school bonds but "will not be voting in favor at this time" while staff health-care impacts remain unresolved.
Board members acknowledged both comments and thanked speakers; no immediate budget or bargaining changes were made during the meeting. Staff and board members later discussed the district's budget context during the second interim presentation.
Why it matters: Employee compensation and benefits influence bargaining outcomes, staff retention and community support for funding measures such as bonds.
