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Classified staff union questions $6.6M move to Fund 17 and pay inequities
Summary
CSEA representatives told the Santa Maria Joint Union High School District board that a large transfer to Fund 17 and modest proposed raises for classified employees deepen inequality with higher-paid administrators, urging the board to prioritize frontline staff in budget decisions.
Julie Norris, speaking on behalf of the California School Employees Association (CSEA), challenged district leaders over a $6.6 million transfer into Fund 17 and what she described as unequal pay practices for classified staff.
"Why did the district move $6,000,000 to Fund 17?" Norris asked during a public comment period, noting that negotiated increases for many classified positions amounted to only a few dollars a month. She contrasted that with a proposed 3% annual increase for the superintendent, saying, "None of these would even fill a tank of gas." Norris also criticized continued contracting with outside vendors — citing monthly payments of $42,500 and $128,000 to two contractors — and urged the district to prioritize its own employees over contracted services.
Norris framed the complaints within contract negotiations and the district’s stated budgetary constraints, saying staff had been told the district was planning deficit spending. She called for reviewing management staffing levels and questioned whether cuts should come from higher-paid management rather than frontline classified workers.
At the board discussion later in the meeting, staff and trustees addressed Fund 17. Michelle Coffin, director of fiscal services, explained that Fund 17 is an assigned reserve that cannot be spent directly and that transfers to the fund were intended for planned purposes such as future school start-up costs, bus replacement and site acquisition. Coffin said the $6.6 million transfer last year was set aside in anticipation of a bond and for future site acquisition work.
The public comments and staff explanation preceded a broader budget discussion and a vote to adopt a positive certification for the district’s 2025–26 1st interim budget. Trustees did not take immediate action on the union’s specific requests but discussed the district’s process for setting aside funds and how future decisions about reserves would involve cabinet, union negotiations and engagement with stakeholders.
The union's comments and the district’s explanation left open whether the board will alter spending priorities or reopen negotiations; classified advocates urged follow-up and clearer communication on how reserve decisions affect contract bargaining and daily staff livelihoods.
