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Martinez teachers’ bargaining team urges district to prioritize classroom staff as talks continue
Summary
A teacher bargaining committee member told the board negotiations have stalled on salary and benefits until January and warned district cost‑cutting proposals would disproportionately affect site personnel, citing a 31% rise in administrative spending in recent years.
Jen Fennell, a teacher at Alhambra High School who identified herself as a member of the MEA bargaining committee, told the board the union had presented proposals on class size, workday, salary and benefits and that district representatives responded only on class size and workday at an October session. She said the district told MEA it would not be ready to discuss salary or other cost items until January.
"When we negotiate, we are out of the classroom, missing valuable time with our students," Fennell said, urging the board to prioritize investments in educators.
Fennell told trustees that at the budget advisory committee, proposed cuts disproportionately targeted personnel who work at school sites rather than district-office management, and she urged the district to consider savings from reducing contracted management work rather than cutting site staff. She said administrative spending had risen 31% in recent years and suggested management consider forgoing some increases to protect classroom resources.
Board members did not take immediate action; the superintendent and other district staff indicated cost and timing considerations will shape future bargaining sessions and that some topics remain scheduled for later negotiation.
The remarks provide a public summary of the union’s current positions and underscore the timing gap the parties described: MEA seeking discussion of salary/cost items now, district staff indicating those items will be addressed in January negotiations.
