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Teachers’ union raises classroom-safety, payroll and solar-panel concerns at Barstow board meeting
Summary
A representative of the Barstow Education Association urged the board to act after a classroom-destruction incident, reported unpaid timecards for teachers and questioned why district solar panels remain nonfunctional, calling for transparency and prompt action.
A representative of the Barstow Education Association told the Barstow Unified School District Board of Trustees on Oct. 20 that a recent incident in which two first-grade students flipped desks, damaged classroom property and threatened adults left teachers traumatized and without clear district follow-up.
"When will these issues be taken serious? When will we see real action?" the union representative asked, saying the only response to a union email was a note that district staff would "follow up with the school site to gain additional insight and supports," but that no one had followed up with BEA members.
The representative also said the union is tracking unpaid timecards: 13 outstanding timecards from the previous school year in one site and additional unpaid timecards this year, including for training and home-hospital teachers. "Our educators should not have to beg to be paid for the work they've already done," the speaker said.
Finally, the union raised concerns about district-installed solar panels, saying only one school’s panels are currently functioning, while others sit idle or stripped of wiring. The representative urged the board to provide a timeline and accountability for making the systems operational so potential savings can be reinvested in classrooms.
District response: The union representative said a written reply had been provided to the union account (the reply indicated a follow-up would occur). Trustees acknowledged the concerns and requested a solar-panel briefing be added to a forthcoming Friday report. No formal district remediation timeline was provided on the record.
What happens next: Board members asked staff to include a report on solar panels in the Friday report and to follow up on personnel/payroll and student-behavior concerns through district channels; the union representative asked for concrete actions and accountability.
Provenance: BEA public comment begins SEG 1850 and continues through SEG 1937.
