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CSEA representatives tell Newark Unified board superintendent raises contradict staff pay concerns
Summary
Two CSEA representatives used the public‑comment period to accuse the Newark Unified School District board of prioritizing superintendent raises while classified staff receive low wages, citing past superintendent contracts, county grand‑jury findings and ongoing turnover.
At the public‑comment portion of the Newark Unified School District Board of Education meeting, two representatives of the California School Employees Association sharply criticized board decisions on superintendent compensation and said classified staff pay is insufficient.
Sarah Keeser, speaking on behalf of Maria Huffer, president of CSEA chapter 208, said the board and executive cabinet have repeatedly told staff the district must "right size" the budget while continuing to approve higher pay for superintendents. Keeser recounted a series of recent superintendent and executive hires and reported salary figures and raises as context for her objection. "If you're considering offering the superintendent a raise, it would be nothing less than a slap in the face to every hardworking staff member in this district," she said.
Keeser listed multiple leadership hires and compensation events she said illustrate the pattern: Dr. Triplett (hired July 2020 at about $220,000, later reported at about $224,000); an interim hire in February 2023; a May 2023 hire reported at $270,000 who left before completing a three‑year contract; and an individual hired as CBO and later interim superintendent with reported increases. Keeser also said there has been frequent turnover in the superintendent role and urged the board to prioritize pay for the district’s staff.
Carrie Sanchez Parra identified herself as the CSEA labor‑relations representative for CSEA chapter 204 (Newark) and said roughly 184 classified bargaining‑unit members deserve a living wage. She said the lowest classified wage at the district is currently $15.65 an hour and presented this as not competitive with neighboring employers. Sanchez Parra also cited an Alameda County grand‑jury report that criticized Newark Unified governance, alleging past Brown Act and California Education Code violations and noting findings and recommendations the district had previously acknowledged. "Classified employees, students, staff, and families in Newark deserve better," she said.
Both speakers linked the pay and staffing concerns to broader governance problems and frequent superintendent turnover; neither comment produced a board response recorded in the public transcript.
The board then recessed to closed session to discuss a superintendent evaluation and negotiations regarding the superintendent position; when the meeting returned the presiding officer said there had been discussion but "no action taken in the meeting tonight," and the meeting adjourned at 8:24 p.m.
