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Teachers and union representatives urge board to use reserves, deliver COLA and improved health coverage
Summary
Scores of teachers, union leaders and community members pressed the Escondido Union High School District board during public comment for a contract that keeps pace with inflation and rising health-care costs, citing roughly $43 million in district reserves and six months without a signed agreement.
Trustees heard an extended block of public comment from teachers, union representatives and community members who said district bargaining positions fall short of covering cost-of-living adjustments (COLA) and rising health-care premiums.
"The district has the capacity to act with $43,000,000 in reserves," said Dania Monroy, an Orange Glen teacher, urging the board to direct the district to present a fair contract that addresses medical and living costs. Several speakers stressed that the association has been negotiating while members have worked without a contract for six months.
Teachers and union representatives described how the district's offer — a small ongoing salary increase plus limited health-cost contributions and one-time payouts — leaves employees effectively with a pay cut when measured against inflation and increased insurance premiums. "Teachers want to stay," Jessica Young, a CTE teacher and union representative, told the board, adding that continued salary compression and insufficient health coverage force educators to consider leaving.
Speakers called for concrete remedies including salary-schedule compression, ongoing COLA-based increases rather than one-time payments, employer coverage of higher portions of premium increases, and use of a portion of district reserves to stabilize staffing. Board members acknowledged the concerns and asked staff to quantify how negotiated items would affect the multi-year projections before decisions are final.
