School district at ‘impasse’ with teacher’s union
Statement from superintendent highlights decline in enrollment
Statement from superintendent highlights decline in enrollment– Paso Robles Joint Unified School District Superintendent Curt Dubost released the following statement regarding ongoing discussions between the district and Paso Robles Public Educators:
Dear Paso Robles community
We write to inform you that after careful deliberation and extensive negotiations, the district and the Paso Robles Public Educators (“PRPE”) have reached an impasse in our discussions regarding contract negotiations.
While we deeply value and appreciate the hard work and dedication of our teachers, the district must face certain fiscal realities. Unfortunately, we find ourselves constrained by limited financial resources. It is our responsibility to ensure that any agreements are both fiscally sustainable and in the best interests of our students, staff, and community.
Our teachers are compensated based on a negotiated salary schedule, whereby teachers are compensated based on years of service and their salaries are increased each year until a teacher reaches a top pay. Thus, the salary schedule already includes automatic increases in pay. On top of those automatic increases, in their last offer, the teachers requested an additional eight percent (8%) increase.
The district has determined that it can only afford an additional two percent (2%) increase over and above the scheduled salary increases. Recall that last year, the district granted a ten percent (10%) salary increase on top of the scheduled salary increases.
School districts like ours are funded based on student enrollment. Our district continues to see declining enrollment, which directly lowers ongoing revenue. Additionally, the district has seen an increase in fixed costs, including facilities maintenance, utilities, and retirement funding. The district must ensure that teacher compensation remains in line with projected revenue and the increase in fixed costs so as to ensure that we remain fiscally solvent. The district’s offer to our teachers reflects this commitment while also recognizing the tremendous contributions the teachers make toward our schools.
As we are at impasse, both parties have agreed to proceed to factfinding. Factfinding is a process designed to provide an impartial assessment of the issues at hand and facilitate resolution of those issues.
We remain steadfast in our dual commitments: to provide the best possible education for our students, and to foster a supportive and equitable working environment for our teachers and staff. We appreciate your understanding and support during this time, and we will provide further updates throughout the process.
Sincerely,
Superintendent Curt Dubost
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