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Teachers'union'drafted MOU for four-day week rejected after debate over duty-day language and timing
Summary
The teachers' union presented a Memorandum of Understanding to pilot a four-day student calendar; the board declined to approve either version of the CFA's MOU but voted to open negotiations with the classified CCA if a four-day week is pursued, citing concerns about rushed bargaining and ambiguous duty-day language.
At a Coastal Public Schools Board of Trustees meeting, union representative Brandy Watson presented a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) the union drafted to allow a four-day student calendar pilot. Watson said the MOU was developed "in good faith" to align district staff duty-day language with a proposed four-day calendar and that union members had voted to adopt a staff duty day running 7:35 a.m. to 4:15 p.m. under the proposed calendar.
Board members and several teachers raised concerns about specific duty-day clauses, the addition of 159.5 staff days in the MOU text and a provision that would leave a 10-minute post-bus window on certain days. "We matched it to the calendar that was presented for the four-day," Watson said. "We tried to do what we could with the information we had," she added, describing a compressed timeline to get member approval.
Several teachers who spoke during public comment urged more preparation and training before reducing student days. "If we're going to do it, we need to do it right. And it includes training and it includes appropriate time," teacher Nikki Ferragoline said, adding that she feared academic outcomes could suffer without adequate professional development.
The board debated whether the calendar and duty-day details belonged in an MOU or should be subject to formal bargaining. Connie Mack, president of the CCA, told the board the classified employees'union would be willing to enter negotiations if a four-day week were approved.
A motion to decline approval of either CFA-drafted MOU passed after discussion. The board also approved a separate motion to open negotiations with the CCA if the district decides to pursue a four-day calendar in the future.
Board members and commenters urged a longer lead time for calendar committee work and recommended beginning negotiations or committee meetings earlier in the school year to allow for thorough review and training plans. The board asked staff and committees to refine options and indicated it would present a hybrid five-day calendar for 2026-27 following the MOU's rejection.
The board's action was procedural: the MOU drafts were not approved, the board did not adopt a four-day calendar at that meeting, and the district proceeded with planning for a hybrid five-day calendar that complies with contract hours and statutory requirements.
What happens next: the board asked staff to continue calendar work with the calendar committee, consider training and staffing implications, and report back; negotiations with the CCA would occur only if the board opts to move forward on a four-day calendar.
