Teachers, parents and union members press Gilroy Unified for higher pay and smaller classes

Dozens of educators, parents and union representatives used the district's public-comment period to urge the Gilroy Unified board to act on teacher compensation, class size and working conditions.

Speakers included classroom teachers, special-education specialists and parents who recounted students left behind by staff turnover and described the economic pressures in Santa Clara County: "The median home price is approximately $1.7 million and average rents exceed $4,000 a month," said speech-language pathologist Stephanie Pedroni, who asked the district to move faster on pay and support for staff covering more complex special-education assignments.

Teachers described large classes and combo-grade assignments that concentrate students requiring intensive support in individual classrooms. Fifth-grade teacher Kimberly Kredowski said 15 of 31 students in her class were promoted while reading multiple grade levels below standard and that combination classes can leave some rooms carrying a higher concentration of students with behavioral and IEP needs.

Several speakers called the board's recent administrator off-schedule payment out of step with teacher compensation; one teacher said she had accepted a position elsewhere because Gilroy could not offer a living wage. "This is educator turnover. It is not an abstract concern. It is happening here and now," one speaker said.

What trustees said: board members listened, acknowledged the comments and referenced the active negotiations with the Gilroy Teachers Association; trustees and staff later discussed where proposed off-schedule payments were budgeted and how those payments would be recorded if a settlement is reached.

Next steps: the board did not take action during public comment; the district said budget and bargaining matters will proceed in future closed- and open-session meetings.