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Arcadia Unified board approves three tentative agreements reached through interest-based bargaining
Summary
The Arcadia Unified School District board unanimously approved tentative agreements with the teachers union (ATA), pupil support staff (APSA), and classified employees (CSEA) after brief public hearings; union leaders praised the district for avoiding layoffs and securing modest raises amid fiscal challenges.
The Arcadia Unified School District Board on March 24 approved three tentative agreements covering the 2025–26 school year with its major bargaining units: the Arcadia Teachers Association (ATA), Arcadia Pupil Support Services Association (APSA), and the California School Employees Association (CSEA).
Board President Lee Chavez opened brief public hearings on each agreement, heard no public comment on the ATA and APSA items, and then closed those hearings before taking voice votes. Trustee Chung moved to approve the ATA tentative agreement and AB 1,200 and Trustee Eng seconded; the motion carried on a voice 'aye'. For APSA, Trustee Eng moved approval and Trustee Vargo seconded; the board again approved each item by voice vote.
CSEA vice president Sarah Torres spoke during the CSEA hearing, thanking the district for a collaborative bargaining process and saying the association appreciated that "by choosing not to lay off employees, you've preserved the livelihood of our staff and the stability of our students' environment." After hearing that comment, the board closed the hearing and approved the CSEA tentative agreement; Trustee Vargo moved to approve and Trustee Chung seconded.
The district presented the agreements as the product of interest-based bargaining and thanked union leaders for their participation. Administration described the outcomes as a combination of language protections and "a modest but meaningful raise and benefit increase" for classified staff, and noted the district worked to avoid layoffs during a period of fiscal challenge.
Next steps: The agreements were ratified by the associations and approved by the board in tonight's actions; no further board votes were recorded on these items during the meeting.
