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Educators urge board to press district for higher pay, full superintendent evaluation
Summary
Several veteran teachers and union leaders told the Norwalk‑La Mirada board the district’s 2% salary offer and current evaluation process fail to meet expectations, urging removal of experience 'asterisk' language and calling for a transparent superintendent review.
Dozens of teachers, union representatives and parents addressed the Norwalk‑La Mirada Unified School District board on Feb. 10, urging stronger action on contract bargaining and a formal superintendent evaluation.
Robin Morgan, a 27‑year teacher and bargaining‑team member, said the district’s latest 2% salary proposal "falls short of the 2.3% COLA" and criticized incremental counteroffers she described as "0.10 or 0.05 of a percentage." Morgan said bargaining has required staff to be away from students while producing only "insignificant offers," and asked the board to remove the salary‑schedule "asterisk" that withholds credit for prior years of experience.
Maureen Quidos Gray, president of the teachers' association Tanla, told trustees she was "deeply concerned" that Superintendent Baker resisted evaluation and dismantled long‑standing collaborative structures. Gray said the change removed instructional supports and left teachers without shared planning time. "We are not resistant to change," she said; "we resist change for the sake of change."
Other speakers described operational impacts they attribute to leadership changes: loss of TOSA (teacher on special assignment) instructional support, delays in retro pay and a reported administrative leave cost described by one commenter as "over $500,000," with one administrator still being paid "more than $300,000" while staying home. Board members did not dispute those figures; speakers urged the board to exercise oversight and direct the superintendent to negotiate in good faith.
Board committee and union reports also flagged grievances: union leaders from CSEA and TANLA described outdated job descriptions, grievance filings and what they called systemic delays in contract negotiations. Several trustees said they would bring those concerns into upcoming committee work and noted the evaluation committee will present refinement of evaluation timelines and materials for board review.
The board did not take an immediate substantive vote on bargaining terms during the meeting. Trustees said they would continue committee discussions on superintendent evaluation procedures and follow up on bargaining and grievance updates at future meetings.
