Irvine board adopts CalPERS pay-rate reporting amid protests from classified staff

The Irvine Unified School District board voted to adopt a CalPERS pay-rate reporting schedule that district officials say aligns district reporting with state law, after more than an hour of public comment from classified employees and California School Employees Association representatives who said the change would cut pensionable earnings by roughly 3% for hourly staff.The board adopted the measure in a roll-call vote, with trustees recording unanimous support.

Union leaders and several classroom aides told the board the change amounts to a cut to retirement security for long-serving part-time and hourly staff. "The proposed 3% reduction in pensionable salary is not just a numbers game," said Gus Salamanthas, chapter president of CSEA 517. "It's a direct attack on our hard-earned benefits." Emma Lopez, a senior CSEA labor representative, told trustees that a district communication saying CSEA "acknowledged" the change was wrong: "97% of your pay is pensionable and 3% isn't. Math does not work that way," she said, arguing the district would save money by excluding that portion from CalPERS reporting.

District counsel and staff told the board the action is a reporting change required by CalPERS and state law, not a unilateral pay cut, and that it was intended to protect current and imminent retirees from being subjected to audits. "No employee's pay has been reduced," the district representative said, explaining the board must publish a pay-rate schedule using CalPERS'mandated divisors and that the district has pursued the option that preserves employees' pay while aligning reporting practices.

Board members acknowledged the emotional stakes and urged continued bargaining. Several trustees said the district remains open to negotiating impacts and effects with CSEA. "We remain ready to negotiate the effects and impacts of these changes," a district leader told the board during discussion.

The resolution authorizes publication of CalPERS pay-rate schedules and certifies the district's reporting change; trustees said the action was necessary to comply with CalPERS'issued guidance and to minimize risk of audits for retiring employees. Members of the public and union representatives said they will continue to press the district at the bargaining table to restore pensionable credit or otherwise mitigate the financial impact on affected workers.

The board recorded a roll-call vote approving the item; afterward trustees reiterated appreciation for classified staff and for the intensity of public input. The district said it will continue negotiations with CSEA and promised further discussions about remedies or mitigations.