Teacher Jill Williams urges Marysville Joint Unified board to explain withheld COLA and consult staff on safety plans

Jill Williams, a teacher in the Marysville Joint Unified School District, told the school board during public comment that a state-funded cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) designated for district employees has been withheld and asked the board to provide data explaining why.

"When a state funded Cola cost of living adjustment that is specifically given for district employees is withheld?" Williams asked, urging the board to "Give me data. Give me facts." She also said the district has "bulked up with many new positions with high salaries and raises," and questioned the disparity between those hires and the withheld COLA.

Williams framed her comments around staff safety and consultation. "We teachers and other school staff are boots on the ground day in and day out," she said, arguing that classroom staff should be consulted about district- and site-level safety plans. She asked the board whether it was "wise to consult us teachers about district and site safety plans," and said that, because teachers are the immediate adults between students and threats, they deserve respectful treatment and full COLA pay.

The board confirmed the comment was for closed session, took the comment under advisement, and adjourned into closed session shortly afterward. The transcript does not record any board response on the substance of Williams's claims during the open meeting.

Williams's assertions about withheld COLA, new higher-paid positions, and the specific dollar amounts involved were not addressed in the open session and were not documented in the meeting transcript; the amounts and the district's explanation were not specified.