Oak Grove trustees set hearings on bargaining proposals as commenters warn of special-education contracting

The Oak Grove School District Board of Trustees on Nov. 14 acknowledged initial bargaining proposals from both the Oak Grove Educators Association (OGEA) and the district and set a public hearing on the proposals for Dec. 12, 2024.

The actions came after public comment in which parent and community member Bob Perla told trustees that 18 special-education positions in the district are currently contracted — including school psychologists, resource specialist program teachers, SDC teachers and speech-language pathologists — and warned that short-term contracting undermines long-term investment in students. "They're taking a contract for a year, here today, gone tomorrow," Perla said, arguing that contractors lack the job security that helps staff advocate for vulnerable students.

An OGEA representative told the board the union and district have begun collaborative planning for successor-contract negotiations and identified retaining and attracting SDC staff as a critical priority. The representative said wellness centers and administrator-training investments are needed to support teachers and manage student behavior, and noted the union is preparing proposals for bargaining.

Administrators presented the public 'sunshine' versions of the proposals required by law for both sides. OGEA's initial list included nine articles covering topics such as leaves, transfer and assignment, compensation, health and welfare benefits, class size and staffing ratios, and safety conditions. The district presented eight articles covering leaves, evaluation procedures, transfer/assignment/reassignment, compensation, health and welfare benefits, hours of employment, class-size and staffing ratios, and safety conditions.

Trustees voted by roll call to acknowledge receipt of both sets of proposals and to set a public hearing on Dec. 12, 2024. The board also adopted its annual organizational meeting date for Dec. 17, 2024.

Perla urged the board to consider the district's health benefits when negotiating, saying the current package has become less competitive and can negate pay increases when employees' premiums rise. "When somebody gets a raise and then they immediately pay that raise out to their health benefits, they don't get a raise," Perla said, asking trustees to work with bargaining partners to maintain competitive compensation in Santa Clara County's high cost-of-living market.

The board's public decisions at the meeting were procedural acknowledgments required to start formal negotiations; no contract or salary decisions were made at the Nov. 14 meeting. The district and OGEA will present their proposals publicly at the Dec. 12 hearing, after which formal bargaining will continue.

Actions recorded at the meeting included the board's roll-call acknowledgements of the proposals and the setting of hearing and organizational meeting dates.