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RTPA details bargaining history, sets Dec. 15 fact-finding date and presses district on safety and pay
Summary
Rocklin Unified teachers' union bargaining chair Emily Thomas outlined multi-year bargaining history, said RTPA will enter fact-finding Dec. 15 and urged the district to be settlement-minded; she also raised classroom safety concerns and asked the district to explore campus monitors and clearer administrator response options at elementary sites.
Emily Thomas, the bargaining chair for the Rocklin Teachers Professional Association (RTPA), told the school board that RTPA will enter fact-finding on Dec. 15 at the Placer County Office of Education after months of negotiations over pay and working conditions.
"RTPA is approaching fact-finding with optimism and the hope that RUSD will walk into that building settlement-minded," Thomas said, adding that the union remained open to a "reasonable settlement." She reviewed settlements and cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) figures dating to 2021, saying the union accepted less than full COLA in past years to build trust at the bargaining table.
Thomas described a breakdown in trust after this spring's talks, saying RTPA had asked for a 0.5 percentage-point ongoing increase but was told only one-time dollars were available. "We asked for half a percent ongoing," she said. "We were never offered ongoing money." She urged the district's bargaining team to enter fact-finding ready to negotiate.
Thomas also raised classroom safety concerns, particularly in elementary general-education classrooms, and asked the board to consider whether campus monitors or clarified administrator response language could reduce disruptive and extreme behavior. "If we can get that kiddo out of the room to a safe space prior to the extreme behavior," she said, it could preserve instructional time for other students.
Deputy Superintendent Jennifer Stalhabber and Associate Superintendent Dr. Bill McDonald answered trustees' questions on both budget and safety. Stalhabber explained that a state COLA is applied to the district's base grant and that actual district revenue can differ based on enrollment and categorical shifts. "When we receive a COLA from the state of California, the COLA is applied to our base grant. It doesn't mean that the district actually receives additional funds in the amount of the COLA," she said.
Dr. McDonald described existing supports and steps the district is taking, including behavioral response teams, three BCBAs (board-certified behavior analysts) and 15 behavior support specialists. He said the district is exploring deploying a behavior specialist to every site next year. "Teachers can always call an administrator 100% of the time," he added, while acknowledging that sudden escalations at some elementary sites sometimes outpace on-site response time.
Trustees expressed shared interest in resolving bargaining with minimal disruption to students, and several urged clear communication about the facts behind revenue and settlement scenarios. The board did not take any formal action on bargaining at the meeting; RTPA and district negotiators are scheduled to meet in fact-finding on Dec. 15.
The committee exchange highlighted two central tensions: the district's claim that revenue constraints limit ongoing pay increases, and the union's claim that offers were narrower than described. The meeting included direct appeals from teachers and acknowledgement from trustees that a settlement would require difficult financial choices.
Next steps: fact-finding is set for Dec. 15 at the Placer County Office of Education; trustees and staff said they would continue to brief the public and pursue safety staffing and program options while bargaining continues.
