Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Labor Contracts topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Teachers urge automatic COLA, limit on after-hours meetings at Fillmore Unified board meeting
Summary
Union representatives and classroom teachers told the Fillmore Unified School District board that an automatic cost-of-living adjustment and clearer contract language limiting unpaid after-hours work are essential to retain educators and protect classroom instruction.
Trustees heard a series of teacher statements urging the district to adopt long-term compensation and workload protections.
Tara Malley, reading on behalf of FUTA president Jamie Ramos, asked the board to implement an automatic cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) and to strengthen contract language governing teacher work hours and meeting scheduling. "Student success depends on stability, stable classrooms, consistent instruction, and experienced educators who are able to stay in the profession," Malley said, arguing an automatic COLA creates predictable compensation that supports retention.
Two classroom teachers described how operational decisions and contract language affect instruction. Heather Milam, a kindergarten teacher at Piru Elementary, said that when decisions are guided by data dashboards and documentation rather than classroom realities, teachers become overburdened: "Teachers are exhausted not because they don't care, because they care deeply," she said, asking trustees to "look beyond how things appear and listen closely to how things are."
Second-grade teacher Riley Parker, speaking as a member of FUUTA, asked the board to address contract terms that allow managers to require work beyond contracted hours, which she said has become routine and disproportionately affects single parents and staff with complex schedules. Parker also described an administrative failure to enroll her infant in dental coverage as an example of benefits issues that have imposed personal costs.
Board members did not take immediate action during public comment but acknowledged the concerns and heard staff and trustees discuss follow-ups. The union representative and teachers asked the board to restore or protect instructional time, ensure consistent staffing for interventions, and negotiate clearer limits on unpaid work.
The board's next step on contract language and compensation will depend on follow-up from district negotiators and any items placed on a future agenda for bargaining or policy discussion.
