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Teachers, union ask for pay and protocol changes after messy move into new Malibu High building
Summary
Teachers and the district's union told the board they've spent many unpaid hours unpacking and reorganizing classrooms after movers failed to place materials as promised; the union asked for compensation, moving-protocol changes and a reconstruction-budget line for teacher setup.
Teachers who moved into the new Malibu High School building told the Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District board on Aug. 14 that the contracted move left classrooms disorganized and required many hours of unpaid labor to make rooms safe and instructional-ready.
"Our contract clearly states in article 10, the transfer and reassignment procedures... that the district shall provide packing boxes, custodial assistance, and either a 1 day substitute or 1 day's compensation at the contract hourly rate for any unit member who must involuntarily change a room assignment due to district reconstruction at the unit member site," said Danielle Morawski, a teacher at Malibu High School and union representative. She and colleagues said movers often left boxes and furniture haphazardly, items went missing and technology was nonfunctional, requiring teachers to spend multiple days organizing and tracking down materials.
Kimberly Auer, another teacher who moved her classroom, told the board she'd spent more than 20 hours this week trying to "make sense of the mess" and said, "I feel that we were completely lied to by the moving crew." Grant Clark, treasurer and bargaining chair for SMMCTA, told the board the union is sunshining several contract articles for negotiations and asked that reconstruction budgets include line items for professional movers and teacher compensation for packing and unpacking.
Union asks included: confirm and enforce contract provisions for moving support; compensate affected teachers for time spent preparing classrooms when district reconstruction requires relocation; revise moving and setup protocols; and ensure that facilities are functional (adequate storage, working technology and electrical access) before teachers are required to occupy spaces.
Administration response: Staff acknowledged the challenges, said movers were hired to transfer items and that some on-site organization remained the teachers' responsibility, and noted the district is working to publish more detailed building-specific communications and to finish punch-list items before students arrive. The board did not take immediate action on compensation at the meeting but heard the requests and directed follow-up conversation in bargaining and with facilities staff.
