Parents and classified staff urge Lancaster board to address suspension rates and low classified pay ahead of negotiations

At the district's public comment period, residents and classified staff urged the Lancaster School District board to scrutinize exclusionary discipline practices and to address long-standing pay inequities for classified employees.

Raquel Durler told the board the district's published discipline data shows elevated suspension rates and racial disparities, and she urged the board to "take a deep dive into the data." Durler cited figures that were presented during her remarks: an overall out-of-school suspension rate she described as about 6.6%, a suspension rate for Black students she stated as 13.5%, for students with disabilities 9.7%, and for foster youth 10.2%, compared with 3.5% for white students. She said those numbers and anecdotal reports that kindergarteners and second-graders were being pushed out of class warranted board review.

Bilingual paraeducators Becky Janus (Miller Elementary) and Carl Zavala urged the board to prioritize classified salary equity during ongoing negotiations. Janus said the district's headline figures (17% on-scale increases and off-scale payments) do not reflect rising benefit costs and minimum-wage pressure; she said benefit costs increased about 32.4% over five years and that many classifications remain close to minimum wage. Janus noted the lowest-paid employee rate she referenced in public comment was stated as "17.83 cents per hour" in the transcript; the speaker intended to convey the hourly rate of $17.83, which Janus said remains only slightly above minimum wage and does not restore purchasing power lost to rising benefits and costs.

Carl Zavala said the classified salary schedule is "no longer balanced," and said reliance on targeted off-scale payments has not created long-term base-salary stability. Both speakers urged a collaborative bargaining process to find sustainable solutions to attract and retain staff ahead of a minimum-wage increase scheduled for January 2026.

The board formally acknowledged receipt of the Lancaster teachers association initial joint proposal and the California School Employees Association Chapter 297 initial proposal; the teachers association set negotiation dates of Oct. 15 and 17, and CSEA reported a third meeting scheduled for November. Board motions acknowledged receipt of those proposals and several human-resources waivers and provisional permits to fill immediate staffing needs were approved by recorded votes.

Superintendent Dr. Mary Andy noted the district is investing in interventions, expanded learning and alternatives to suspension, and said staff are working to support students who are homeless or in foster care. She stressed the district has programs for social-emotional learning and interventions intended to reduce suspensions and support students.