001So, we're going to call the order to session. So, uh I am now calling it to order at 7:06. Um just some uh standard boilerplate. Uh before we begin, I'd like to remind you of decorum expectations during this and all parts of tonight's meeting in line with bylaw 9323 on meeting conduct. No person shall disturb the order of this meeting. Such behavior includes, but is not limited to booing, hissing, creating, or participating in a physical disturbance, speaking out of turn in violation of applicable rules, preventing or attempting to prevent others who have the floor from speaking, preventing others from observing the meeting, entering into or remaining in the area of the meeting room that is not open to the public, or approaching the deas without permission. DAS, um, if you have complaints against specific district
002employees, we encourage you to use the district complaint process via complaints berkeley.net net as opposed to public comment to address these matters. Um, we will now approve the agenda of this evening's meeting. Firstly, are there any requested changes? >> Not seeing any. >> I'll move to approve. President, I'll call the role. >> Oh, I'm sorry. Uh, yes. Can we call the role first? >> Yes. Director Anna Vasv, >> presente. >> Director Jennifer Shinowski, >> here. >> Director Armana Ardom, >> present. Vice President Jennifer Korn, >> present. President Mike Chen >> uh here. Thank you so much. And then uh we have Director Schnowski, I think, moved first for the agenda. >> And who was moving second? >> He'll second. >> Okay. Vice President K. Thank you so much. So, uh do we have the eyes?
003>> I I >> I uh so the agenda is approved. Um can we have the report out on the close session? Vice President Korn. Yes. Um, close session was called to order at 5:39 p.m. Um, on item 3.1.1, there was a motion by me, Vice President Korn, seconded by Director Vasudv, and the board approved the item unanimously. Um, on item 3.1.2, the board received um a report from staff. On item 3.1.3, there was a motion by Director Shinowski that was seconded by me, Vice President Korn, and the board approved the item unanimously. And on item 3.2, um, there was an update from staff and a discussion with the board. >> Thank you so much. Um, next, uh, we would like to hear from our fabulous superintendent. I need to get a one more fell. >>
004Good morning, B. >> Good evening, B USD family. >> Uh-uh. >> It's It's way too many of y'all for that. Good evening, BUSD family. Um, so in Berkeley Unified, um, we know that the strength and beauty of our district comes from the diversity of our students, our families, and our amazing educators and staff, including those who are here this evening. Each culture, identity, and lived experience adds to the vital thread to the fabric of our schools and to our community. This October, we continue to celebrate Latinx Heritage Month, and we are proud to honor two communities whose histories, resilience, and brilliance have deeply shaped our world and continue to enrich the lives of our students every day. And that's our Filipino XO American history, our our Philippine XO community celebrating Filipinoxo American Heritage Month and
005the LGBTQ plus community as October is also LGBTQ plus history month. These observances are not simply about looking back, though we do that. They are about recognizing the ongoing ways that Filipino exo and LGBTQ plus individuals lead, create, teach, and inspire teach and inspire every sector of society. They remind us that our schools thrive when every story is told, every identity is affirmed, and every contribution is celebrated. So, align with B USD's values of equity, excellence, enrichment, and engagement. Um, these celebrations that we'll be having across the month of October and the many ways that we celebrate our diversity all year long deepen our collective commitment to building schools where every child feels safe, seen, valued, empowered, and heard and every family member, community member, members of our staff, everybody who's a part of our
006B US BD family. We want to feel that way. So, tonight is unlike our regular meetings. It's unlike our regular meetings, first of all, cuz all y'all here But we are always and so and while I have you here, I'm going to extend the invitation for you to come more often >> cuz it does get kind of lonely. Um, but our hashtag this year, as you all know, is # Berkeley Proud. Did y'all know that? >> Um, and we are proud of many things here in BUSD. There was a video at the start of the year that talks about the things that I personally was proud of as superintendent. Um we are proud of the amazing brilliance of our babies, of our um move towards really making sure that our instruction is more rigorous, more
007engaging, of our datadriven um structures that we've created, of our partnership with families. But we are proud because we know that we have done beautiful and amazing things with and for our students because of you, our educators and our staff. So we are also hashtag Berkeley proud of all the people who make up our BUSD family. I know as you sit and stand here this evening, there are some things um that you are not so proud of. I heard you chanting in the back room and there are sometimes um probably some of you who feel like we are not who don't know how proud of you and um how much we appreciate you. Um and so on behalf of my board and um my staff at central office and myself, I do want to let
008you know that indeed we are proud and we know there's a number of ways to show that we are proud of you and that we appreciate you. And one of those ways is by making sure you have a contract that makes you feel seen, heard, valued, and respected. [Music] [Applause] I don't have that for you right now, though I know you want it now. But what I have for you now, um, is is first just to let you all know that we are we are proud that we have made progress um, in many areas of the negotiations across many of the tables. And we know that we have a long way to go. Again, I sit here before you as the superintendent with my amazing board and our staff to say that we are committed
009to ongoing conversations. We're committed to making sure that at the end of those conversations, we have a contract that not only makes us proud, but makes you proud as well. And that makes you also feel seen, valued, and heard. The way that I started off this meeting, we talked about Filipino X and um Latinx and LGBTQ plus history. So this after this evening is unlike any other for those reasons. Um but it's also unlike other meetings because we are going to do a different structure. We're going to do a board study session and the board study session will focus on the district's budget. It will not be everything that there is to know about the district's budget, nor will it be about negotiations, but it will be providing some information to our board um that
010will help them help us make better decisions um and more informed decisions as the governors of the governors and stewards of the district's budget. So, we invite you to stay. We're going to focus on site budgets this evening as well as categorical budgets. But whatever our focus is, please know that at all times, we're focusing on you and the amazing things that you do for our students. and we are indeed um are appreciative and hash Berkeley proud. Let me try it with y'all. Say it loud. >> Berkeley proud. >> Thank y'all. >> Thank you so much, Superintendent. Um we will now move to public comments. Um there are two opportunities for public comments at each meeting now and at the end of the meeting. If you do not speak at the beginning of the meeting,
011we encourage you to stay and speak at the end. You may also email us your comments at board of berkeley.net if you have complaints. again against specific district employees. We encourage you to use the district complaint process as opposed to public comment. Um the board does not respond directly to comments or questions made during the uh public uh comment period. Board members, the superintendent and staff do take notes during public comment and may follow up with the speaker after the meeting. This is a hybrid meeting, so we have public commenters in the boardroom and online. Um, each public commenter will have up to a minute to speak depending on the amount of speakers. Please note that the microphone will shut off at the end of each speaker's allotted time. Apologies for that. So, time your
012comments accordingly. Before we begin, I'd like to remind you of decorum again uh that we first reviewed at the start. Um, Miss Chavez, do we have uh students online? Want to flag that first. And I don't think we have student commenters here. No hands online. Do we have student commenters here? >> We do. >> Um, okay. And do we have their I don't see their um cards. >> Oops. Sorry. So, we try to have student commenters come on up first. [Music] >> Thank you. All right. Um, can we have Lauren Wiggins and Korea Coloulston come on up? >> Do you want to one of you want to go first? >> They're the school board rep. >> Oh, they're the schoolboard reps. >> Are they going to >> Okay. Oh, I'm sorry. Okay. So, yeah. So,
013um, what do you think? Should we have them come on during the now? >> Yeah. You guys want to come up now? >> Thanks. [Applause] We're looking forward to meeting our our student board members. Um, the superintendent is going to introduce them. >> Welcome. >> We talked about our baby's brilliance and their amazing. And we are also proud that Berkeley students are also leaders and advocates. And so, we are excited to welcome and to introduce to you all um our two newest board delegates from um BTA. We have Lauren Wiggins who's a junior this year. and Korea Coloulston who's a senior this year. So just so you all know because they they came this um this evening we allowed both of them to set on the day but going forward you will see one of
014the two but we are very happy and proud again um to have amazing leadership representing BTA but they don't just represent BTA they represent the voices of all the babies in B USD. Um and so we're excited to have you contribute as members of the governance team. And if you'd like to say some words we will take a moment uh to allow you to do so. They're glad to be here. We're glad to have you. Congratulations, y'all. Welcome. >> Thank you so much, Superintendent, and welcome, Lauren and Korea. Um, so nice to see you. Um, so we've got public commenters. We and we do have a student public commenter whom we'd like to call up first and please tell me if I mispronounced your name. Um Amila Amago >> Amala. Amala Amago. [Applause] Hi, my
015name is Amla and I'm representing Berkeley High students and members of Sunrise, a national environmental and social justice organization. >> In May 2024, you approved our Green New Deal resolution, which promises action to make BUSD safer and more active in addressing worsening climate disasters and more proactive in reducing emissions. Um, so we have been in contact with Miss Chowski over there. Um, and we're looking forward to hearing back about it because, um, these resolution items do take district-wide action. And, um, we're looking to you guys for support. Um, we want to emphasize taking action on prioritizing transparency and safety with these climate issues and by formally assessing B USD's progress in reducing emissions and waste and also publishing this information um or making it available on you know the B USD website would not only
016be quantifying the environmental efforts that B USD is putting in um but we would also provide evidence to stakeholders, sponsors, community members and you know students that we are making a difference here in Berkeley um which would hopefully prompt more support and participation. >> We also ask for a climate disaster plan including making BHS a community crisis response center. The risk of climate change induced and amplified in disasters is increasing. We and we would like to ensure that actions are taken to reduce the impact of these events and protect our community. As seen in the LA fires and as reminded uh by the recent earthquake, we in an area that is prone to climate disasters and is only getting more common and unpredictable. >> Yeah, both requests are existing aspects of the resolution that we
017hope to be addressed as soon as possible. Cited from the resolution, we would like the district to, and I quote, complete a comprehensive environmental assessment of all district facilities to quantify the carbon footprint of Berkeley Unified School District, as well as the risks of climate crisis that poses our school. for presentation at a public school board meeting and for the district to, and I quote again, work with local and state governments, nonprofits, business leaders, teachers, and parents to create a district-wide climate disaster plan in the event of a climate disaster, utilizing schools as it centers for community response and relief. >> Thank you. Because climate change is a very vital issue right now. >> Thank you. Can I also add um as a student with the B USD staff all here um you guys mean
018so much to all the students. You guys make a huge difference on every single one of our lives. And I am also asking for support from you guys as well because you know environmental issues it's still here but >> um the students haven't forgotten about it and we're fighting the fight too and we will in the future. Thank you. >> Thank you. Thank you so much. Um, and next on up we have um Ariana Braga, Susan Caleb, Corey Pototts, Julie Rodenberg, Justin Valencia. [Applause] My name is Ariana Braa and I'm a fourth grade teacher at Malcolm X. I'm here to talk about our salary step increases are not enough to keep up with rising health care costs. Currently, if you combine salary with the cost of benefits, BUSD is beneath 13 other neighboring districts in
019Alama County. I should be able to afford to continue seeing the doctors that I've been seeing for the last decade. Open enrollment is now and I'm having to weigh the choice of keeping what I know is best for my health or what I can afford. I also should be able to plan for possibly having children without the stress of wondering if 25% of my salary will be enough for my partner and I to live on. I started teaching in BUSD at the young age of 23 and 10 years later I find that I need to start making choices for my future. But I'm growing increasingly alarmed that those choices cannot realistically keep me here in B USD. I can no longer wait for things to become sustainable or affordable. I understand that we're experiencing budgeting
020difficulties, but I believe that you can at least prioritize sustaining your staff who provide direct services to students. BFT's child rearing leave and healthc care proposal is reasonable and is in line with neighboring districts. How can I be expected to continue supporting Berkeley students, a job that I love but have no means to support my own family and future? Thank you. Thank you, Susan. >> Hi, I'm Susan Killeroo. I'm going to be reiterating a lot of what Ariana just said. Um, one of my fourth grade students at Craigmont Elementary recently wrote that I'm the oldest teacher he's ever met. I started teaching in 1992 and after teaching for many years in San Francisco and Oakland. I came to Berkeley six years ago because I wanted to work in the community where I am fortunate to
021live and I love Berkeley Unified. My own three daughters graduated from Berkeley High. And so I'm here tonight because I'm concerned about BUSD's failure to stay competitive with other districts in terms of teacher compensation. >> The fact that other Bay Area districts such as Oakland pay 100% of health care insurance >> means that although Berkeley's salary scale might be a little higher, our teachers take home less money. And BFT's new contract proposals will help Berkeley become more competitive so that our district can continue to attract and retain talented new teachers. >> To be clear, the contract BFT is asking for isn't just good for the teachers, it's good for the district. And most importantly, it's good for the students that we're all here to serve. Thank you. >> Thank you. Is Corey. Corey, come on
022up. Hey, Cy. >> Hi there. I'm Corey Pototts. I'm an educational specialist at Berkeley Arts Magnet Elementary. This is my sixth year of teaching at BAM and my 20th year as an educator. I'm here to ask on behalf of teachers and specialists for full compensation for IEP meetings, SST meetings, and 504s. It's about the work all teachers and specialists have to do past contract hours during lunch and in excess of the number of preps allotted for meetings in order to meet the needs of students. Work that happens outside of our contract hours often includes completing assessments, reports, paperwork, making powerpoints for IEPs, differentiating lessons and activities for students, collaborating with teachers before the duty day starts at lunchtime and long after the duty day has ended, coordinating meetings with the team, which includes three to
02310 stakeholders, all of whom have to attend due to the federal mandates. Education specialists typically serve around 20 to 22 students with IEPs spread across grade levels from transitional kindergarten to fifth grade. We're very grateful for the case load caps we have as this makes us below the state cap. Yet even with these reduced case loads, case management is still labor intensive. Many students require more than one IEP meeting a year. New students are often qualified midyear through intensive assessments, premereings, meetings, and post meetings that when they do qualify, we need to rewrite all our schedules and write newly differentiated lessons. I often spend 10 to 20 hours a week beyond the duty days during the week doing essential preparation without compensation. Like all respected public service employees, we need to be compensated fairly for
024our work. If we aren't fairly compensated for our actual hours, I fear Berkeley will continue to lose good people due to burnout and continue to have a high turnover rate for all the people who support full inclusion of all students in our Berkeley public schools. Thank you. [Applause] >> Hi there. I'm Julie Rodenberg, an education specialist at Berkeley High School. >> This is my husband, Chris. >> Listen to her. She's always right. >> We are here on our 25th wedding anniversary >> because we support free public education. Our kids have always attended public school. My parents didn't go to college. I grew up in a bluecollar union house um where one income was enough to buy a house, raise four children, and pay for four sets of braces. >> The medical and dental coverage that
025my father got from his employer was completely covered. This was a this is a benefit and this is something that we are not afforded. Every fall at Berkeley High, the year begins with vacancies. These vacancies are causing harm to our students. >> Particularly students with IEPs, >> they need additional support and case management. These students fall further and further behind um when they don't get get the support that they need. Our amazing staff >> always jump in and take on extra work >> for the sake of the students, but we are overextended. When I started working here, I signed up for healthc care coverage for my family. I was shocked when I received my first paycheck. Even more upsetting, none of my providers accepted our insurance. I had to disenroll and sign up for insurance
026through my husband's employer. Our district system is set up so that many teachers can only afford to be here because their partner is supplementing their income. >> We ask respectfully that you find a way to provide better benefits and compensation. Thank you. Thank you, Justin. >> Hello, members of the school board and district admin. My name is Justin Valencia and I'm a history teacher at Berkeley High School. This is my third year at Berkeley High, my ninth year teaching in general, and I love what I do. During my first year at Berkeley High, I helped organize a speaker in our school library, a grandparent of one of my own students who spoke as a direct descendant of Holocaust survivors to coincide with our Holocaust unit. Superintendent Anikia, I believe you were present via Zoom for
027that for that meeting. In my short time here, I've had the privilege of teaching some truly amazing students and I'm happy to report that our BIS students in IB history have had an IB exam pass rate of over 97% the past two years. better than the world average. This is a feat I was able to help be a part of due to immense support from my colleagues, hardworking students, and at least to some degree from my own ability as a teacher. That being said, let me quote some statistics. When I arrived in this district with 7 years of experience and enough units to be fully maxed out on the salary scale, I was only making 10,000 above what is legally considered quote lowincome in Berkeley. In the three years I've been in Berkeley, our salary
028in increases have not outpaced inflation. This is not sustainable. My income to be would be higher at any neighboring school district and I may be forced to change district because retaining teachers does not seem to be a priority for BSD. All of this combined with the escalating costs associated with the Trump tariffs and utility bills have made it financially difficult to be a teacher in Berkeley. I am a mid-career teacher that Berkeley risk losing due to uncompetitive compensation and benefits. Teachers deserve to be paid for the immense skills they bring to the classroom. We can't wait any longer. Thank you. >> All right. Thank you so much. Um, next next on up we have Paula Phillips. Is there a Paula Phillips? [Music] [Applause] >> Hello. >> Ready. Good evening board members and to our listening
029public. My name is Paula Phillips. I stand here in solidarity as a local 21 member with BFT teachers. And I want to speak briefly about the current state of negotiations. As you know, they've been working hard to secure a fair agreement, but unfortunately, talks have stalled. That's not the outcome any of us want, but it's a clear signal that more work needs to be done to reach a deal that respects the value BFT teachers bring every single day. At the heart of this is one simple truth. I'm not just asking. I'm advocating for a compensation package for teachers that reflects their value and contributions to our students and an increased cost of living in the Bay Area, especially with the increased health benefits. This isn't about extras. It's about equity and sustainability. >> Right on.
030sustainability for individuals and for the team as a whole and not just for those at the top. >> We remain committed in unity and solidarity and ready to keep pushing forward. These delays don't define the outcome, our resolve will. Thank you. >> Thank you. So, next on up we have Dan Brownson and then Mimi Maine. >> All right. >> Yeah. >> All right. [Applause] So, a lot of people have uh been talking about money and um that's uh something that the district in BCCE negotiations has so far been very uh hesitant to bring up and we know why. We've all seen the budget presentations. There's going to be another one, of course. Um, and we know that when we finally get to the mon the economic part of the upcoming uh contract that we hope
031will be concluded soon that what the district offers is not going to be very good. Um, because we've seen what the budget is. Um, that's why our union BCCE needs movement on our non-economic proposals. You want us to agree to compensation that we really don't think is enough and doesn't really keep up with uh inflation, especially with the tariffs, then you need to give us something to vote for. um contracting our workout has been a sore spot for years, but our proposal on it was almost completely rejected uh out of hand on the basis that what we asked for is either claimed to be impossible or would due to not allowing flexibility, which uh in my opinion is just a code word for disposability. um or would quote prevent the district from getting good contracts.
032There are no good contracts with giant staffing corporations who couldn't care less about our students, our schools, and our community. The the only good contracts The only good contracts are the ones signed with employee unions. [Applause] That's all free Palestine. [Applause] Next on up, we got Mimi M. There you go. >> Hi. I've been here for the last um several meetings and uh it's really exciting to see all these beautiful faces here. Um I'm uh continuing to bring attention to the ongoing afterare crisis here in Berkeley. I'm part of an informal group of parents uh that is dedicated to keeping this topic top of mind. We've named ourselves. We're calling ourselves bridge the care gap for B USD families. Yeah, >> on a positive note, many of us joined the Berkeley PTA Council meeting on
033Monday night and were encouraged by the success filling vacancies, the various extended learning openings around the district. We were also encouraged by Superintendent Ford Moral's vision on how to keep things moving forward. Thank you for that. Um, on the negative side, staff shared that there are still hundreds, maybe up to 500 of students still on the afterare weight list. So, um, we're still here. We're going to keep coming back. and thank you for your attention on this issue. >> Thank you. So, I don't think we have any more in-person commenters, but we have someone with their hand raised online. I believe that's Dan. Um, can you pull Dan up? >> Hey, Dan, are you ready to speak? Hi everyone. Can you hear me? >> Yes. >> All right. Great. Um my name is Dan Center.
034I'm a proud parent of two BUSD elementary students and I just wanted to bring further attention to the afterare situation. Um just had a few comments and questions about afterare and B USD. Um number one is um for the board if you know and uh why are some BUSD elementary schools able to offer almost all their students afterare on site while others can only offer about 25 to 30% of students afterare? Number two, why does uh which school a student attends determine whether or not they're offered after care on site? Uh, number three, are there things we can learn from the schools serving more students and from the stu the schools serving fewer? And number four, how much is Berkeley Unified spending on busing our students to offsite afterare programs and can we reduce those
035costs and per perhaps increase revenue by serving students on site to keep all our students together? Um, and I just offer these comments and questions in the spirit of collaboration. We work so hard to compose wonderful, diverse, equitable elementary schools here in BUSD and of course have wonderful teachers. Um, but we're losing out on opportunities to keep our students together on site in afterare. Um, and we're also putting incredible strain on families that are scrambling to find afterare. So, I just hope that the board will stay focused on these issues. Um, try to answer some of these questions and hopefully we can take some steps forward together. Thanks. >> Thanks, Tom. Thank you. I don't think I see anyone else online. Um, are there committees here to speak? Committee comments. No committee comments. Um, union
036comments. [Applause] Good evening. Um, sup Superintendent Martell and Berkeley school board directors. Uh, BCCE is current currently engaged in discussions with the sped and after school program departments regarding the overuse of contractors. While these weekly meetings have been helpful in addressing some district issues concerning the misuse of contractors, we believe that there is a lack of urgency in rectifying the problem of outside contractors within BB BUSD. We must reiterate our question. Why is a district overpaying transient contractors when our permanent, readily available, highly skilled employees are eager to perform this work? This sit this situation makes no sense. Consider the illogical paradox presented by the positions identified as hard to fill such as IIA sped 2. Instead of offering these critical roles full-time employment very the very hours that would constitute a stable and full-time
037position are being handed to external contractor. This practice is not only counterproductive to recruitment in the retention efforts, but also financially irresponsible. It defines all logic that the district would willingly pay significantly more for a contractor, often without the same level of institutional knowledge and long-term commitment rather than investing in much needed pay increase for these critical positions. as clearly identified by the class and comp study as being severely underpaid. This approach is detrimental to the morale, creates instability with the departments and ultimately compro compromises the quality and continue continuity of the services um provided to our students. Regarding staffing and um recruitment, a call for internal investment. Why are contractors constantly utilized when our permanent employees possess the skills, experience, and dedication to perform the exact same work? We have well over 200 employees
038who can that can perform this work. >> So why hasn't the district increased the hours for our existing permanent staff? This will provide much needed stability for these employees but also significantly aid in the recruitment and crucially the long-term retention of these invaluable individuals. This will foster a sense of loyalty and commitment that temporary contractors cannot replicate beyond increased hours with a comprehensive and equitable increase in salaries for our permanent staff particularly in those hard to fill and underpaid classifications. This would be a powerful and effective tool for both attracting top talent to B USD and ensuring the sustained retention of our most dedicated employees. Investing in our people is an investment in the future of our district. >> So, let's address the 2526 budget crisis and beyond. A path to fiscal responsibility and stability,
039right? So we implore the board to prioritize with unwavering commitment the elimination of the unnecessary and fiscally irresponsible use of contractors across all positions within BUSD. This is not merely an operational adjustment. It is a fundamental shift towards greater financial prudence and long-term sustainability. Every dollar spent on an external contractor is a dollar diverted from the essential services and support our our student deserves. Our focus must unequivocally shift to retaining our dedicated, highly skilled and hardworking BCC bargaining unit members. These individuals are the foundation of our district, possessing invaluable institutional knowledge, a deep understanding of our students need and unwavering commitment to the Berkeley community. Berkeley proud. Their stability and well-being are paramount to the success of BUSD. By prioritizing their retention through fair compensation, appropriate workload, and opportunities for growth, we build a stronger,
040more resilient, and more effective school district for all. Thank you. >> Thank you. Up we have Matt Meyers of BFT. Good evening, Superintendent Ford Morelm and the Berkeley School Board Directors. I am Matt Meyer, president of the Berkeley Federation of Teachers. Our educators are wrapping up both the first trimester and first quarter next week. The district has been asking more from our educators than ever before. Report card time is just around the corner where our educators will be put in many unpaid hours and oftentimes using sick days just to make sure our caregivers can get meaningful communication about how their students are doing. It is demoralizing to be working so hard knowing that the district has not even responded to our contractual issues through the negotiations process. At this point, we have not heard back
041at all on 14 proposals, some of which may require some real back and forth to figure out. We've had a handful of straight up nos and we have tentative agreements on five. This is after nine one and a half hour sessions. We have been told that the district needs time to figure out the budget. Like I mentioned at the last board meeting, the district knew since 2022 that our contract would be open this year. So, we're a little confused why the district hasn't planned ahead. [Music] How does the district justify finding money for outside consultants before even starting to engage on compensation issues that will impact almost all BUSD employees? This is after the superintendent budget advisory committee raised concerns about how some general ed funding general fund dollars are spent in the accountability of
042this spending. I think I need to put some of our proposals in context. According to a report that came out last week by the Economic Policy Institute, on average, teachers earn 73 cents for every dollar relative to the earnings of other similar professionals in 2024. [Music] That is much less than the 94 cents earned in 1996. You can see what has happened. In California, there's a 20% wage gap. These are averages. When you look at our county specifically, our total compensation ranges from below average to last compared with nearby districts. Then you subtract out the employee contribution to healthcare and we really fall behind. For example, even though it seems on paper that our compensation is similar to Oakland, because they don't have an employee contribution to health care, their net pay ends up being
043much higher with the same level of healthcare coverage. Where is the multi-year plan to raise salaries to at least average? Where's the plan to address the rising cost of healthcare? To actually prioritize our workforce would mean showing up with some ideas, not silence. >> We have been working for years on making sure our educators who are attending or leading mandatory meetings outside the workday are paid for that time. The USD and BFT mets in a work group studying the issue, came up with a working proposal, which is exactly what we proposed at the negotiations table. This is similar across most nearby districts. Why are BU USD educators treated differently? Is this if this important work stopped, B USD will be paying for sub coverage to have teachers released during the day? We know how critical
044it is to have all stakeholders present in IEP 504 and SST meetings. What is the rationale to ask our educators to do this on a volunteer basis? This continues to be the district position and I wouldn't be surprised if at some point soon we just say to quote BCCE enough is enough. >> This isn't what we want, but it really does feel like our hand is being forced. The district often resorts to saying nothing can be done and this is how it is. This is the budget. We disagree. What proactive steps has the district taken in addressing these concerns? Have you considered meeting with San Diego Unified to figure out how they got employee salaries and benefits to 87% of their overall budget and the services and operating costs that line item down to 9%.
045Ours is 79% for the people doing the work and 18% for services and operating costs. For professional and consulting services specifically, Berkeley is paying five times what San San Diego pays. I will also not uh based on the budget, not in total. They're a big district. I will also mention that San Diego also fully covers the health benefits and has paid child leave. >> Wow. >> Has the district met with Oakland and Albany to find out how they've managed to continue to pay full health care benefits even with double-digit cost increases? On the programmatic side, our district offers fantastic opportunities for students. As a parent, I love hearing about all the engaging instruction and enrichment that my kids receive on a daily basis. We truly have exceptional schools led by exceptional educators. When it comes
046to our employees, our exceptionalism should not be lower compensation, worse benefits, longer work hours for counselors without pay, child wearing leave that leaves us broke, and unpaid meetings after the workday. We need some movement at the table. The district silence speaks volumes, and we are listening. Thank you. When I say union, you say power. Union power. Union. When I say teacher, you say power. Teacher power. Teacher. I say worker, you say power. Worker. >> Power. Worker. >> Say union, you say power. Union. >> Power. >> Union. >> Power. >> Say teacher, you say power. Teacher. >> Power. >> Teacher. >> Power. Say student. You say power. Student. >> Power. >> Student. >> Power. >> What do we want? Where do we want it? >> Now. >> Why do we want? >> Where do we want
047it? >> Now, what do we want? >> What do we want it? >> Now. >> What do we want it? >> Now. >> What do we want it? >> Now. >> We'll be back. >> We're going to take a 5minute recess. We demand [Applause] a fair contract. We'll be back. We demand a fair. >> Thank you so much as part of the back. We contract. We'll be back. We'll be back. We We're in a 5minute recess. We'll be back. We'll be back. We'll be back. [Applause] [Music] How long does it take for you? [Music] [Applause] How are you? >> I mean, it's a it's a [Music] we have a contract for so many years and then you got to renegotiate the contract time. That's like So right now we have >> Hey, wait. You know
048what? >> Congratulations. So much Oh my god. [Music] >> Thank you. Who's that? >> Oh, that's >> Lamar Matro. >> I'm Lauren. >> Oh, >> yeah. >> That's why I look familiar. I'm Lauren. >> You're the parents. Both of you. No, I'm teachers. >> I told you. >> Well, I don't know what they're doing, you know. Got access to the bathroom. get some food. >> Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. They got food. >> You know, years and years ago, >> right? Smack. Right. But if you just walk over to see I just like [Applause] >> that was kind of majestic. That was I still by you. I just got >> used to [Music] It's like a big [Music] You guys feeling like [Music] Something has to [Music] be very No. [Music] >> Spilling their Stanley on
049my floor. It's Throw out the garbage for you to get that. You hear this? >> Hi there. Um, we're going to come out of recess. Coming out of recess. And, um, we still have a an agenda item here before we pivot into our budget retreat. >> So, we are resuming the board meeting. So, we're going to ask everyone to please take their seats because the board business is back. >> Board members and staff. >> Thank you. >> Calling, calling, calling. Um, >> all right. So, the we're pivoting out of recess and we're back into um session. We are Hello. We'll give our um our student directors are in the back, but they'll be coming out in a minute. Um board members have decided um not to make comment today in order to focus on our
050budget retreat. Um, we have the consent calendar. Are there any any any questions at all? >> Nope. So, do we have a motion to approve consent? >> I move to approve the consent calendar. >> Director Shinowski, do we have a second? >> I'll second. >> Uh, Vice President Corn seconded. Do we have the eyes? I >> I >> Are you three eyes? >> Yeah, three of us are eyes. >> I'm going to say no just because there's one item that I'd like more information about, but that it's going to pass anyway, so it's fine. >> Okay, so we have >> You want to pull it? >> It's okay. >> You don't want to pull it? No. >> Okay, so we have three eyes and one no. >> One nay. >> Okay, so it passes. Uh
051consent passes. Thank you. Motion passes. Um RIT. And so if we can shift to our adjourn our meeting our budget I'm going to adjourn. It is now what 8:04. >> Thanks so much. >> For those of us for those of you listening online we are transitioning to a less formal format and we are going to in person only. Good night.