Negotiations Update

Santa Barbara Teacher's Association (SBTA)

Tentative Agreements Reached with Teachers Union

A tentative agreement between SB Unified and Santa Barbara Teachers Association was reached early Thursday morning after negotiating for over 18 hours during the Fact Finding session. Once ratified, the 3 year contract, which includes two years of salaries settled, will become effective July 1, 2024, and end on June 30, 2027.

This new contract reflects our values to provide competitive wages for our hardworking teachers and keeping our budget fiscally sound while improving student achievement.

Agreements reached were as follows:

In 2024-2025 an ongoing salary increase for all educators of 10%.
There will be increases to the incoming teacher salary with 13 years of service.
The addition of a new step 23 with an increase of 4%.

In 2025-2026 a 3% salary increase in July and 2% in January.
An increase to provide 14 years of incoming service credit for a maximum step 15.
A contingency clause was included for an additional salary increase in case property taxes come in above 5% in 2024-2025.

Previously agreed to tentative agreements for health and welfare and class size reductions will also go into effect.

Additional changes to hours and conditions include:

An increase of 2 days to Early Education teachers,
A change of calendar to 195 days for school psychologists and speech and language teachers while keeping the same salary,
An additional 2 days to Special Education teachers.

We are pleased with the work of the Fact-Finding Panel, SBTA leadership, and the District’s negotiations team.

Our new agreements will allow both parties to move forward and collaborate to realize our motto- Every Child, Every Chance, Every Day.

The tentative agreement must now be ratified by a vote of the bargaining members and approved by the Board.

School District & Teachers Union Negotiations Update 6/2/24

Dear Staff and Families,

The purpose of this communication is to address the recent inquiries we have received about current negotiations and possible teacher’s strike. Santa Barbara Unified School District is committed to working with our union leaders and members to reach an agreement. We recognize and value the teachers union’s right to use all avenues provided during labor negotiations to ensure they are compensated at the highest possible salary.

We have seen and heard our teachers come to our District’s board meetings expressing concerns over the recent impact of inflation, increased housing costs, and general cost of living in Santa Barbara as having a profound impact on their daily lives. This is true not just here in our community but nationwide.

On June 12th there will be a fact finding hearing in which a neutral party reviews the district budget. The process is to ensure both parties are provided with an objective view of what is fiscally sustainable and affordable. If the District and the teacher’s union cannot reach an agreement after fact finding, the union can call a strike.

We are firm in our commitment to reach an agreement, keep schools open, and let the fiscal facts lead our negotiations.

SB Unified Proposal is worth $22.7 million dollars, one of the largest in the last 20 years.

FACT: For almost 20 years, the District only offered to pay 40% of health care costs. At the beginning of negotiations the District offered to pay 75% of health care costs. This was agreed on early in our negotiations by both parties.

•Increasing employer contribution to health premiums to 75% cost of $3.5 million

FACT: For the last three years the District has used one-time funds and LCAP funds to keep our class sizes low. The District and SBTA signed a tentative agreement for the 24-25 school year.

•This increased investment to keep an additional 50+ teachers is equal to $6.2 million annually.

FACT: For the last ten years the District has offered annual increases between 2-4% annually. The District offer is the largest single year raise to date.

•The current 13% over two years offer is equal to an increased investment of $13.0 million.

14-15	15-16	16-17	18-19	19-20	20-21	21-22	22-23	23-24	24-25	25-26
3%	4%	2%	2%	2%	2%	3.50%	2.5%	4%	*9%	*4%
									**15%	**8%

*District’s last offer. **SBTA last offer.

FACT: As a community-funded district, the majority of funding comes from property taxes. The District relies on a consistent increase in this funding to address employee salaries and increased costs. In past years, we received a 4-5% increase in funds. In the coming year, the Santa Barbara County Tax Assessor is projecting a decrease to 3.75%.

•This signifies a decrease in the district's projected revenue of $2,262,638 for 24-25.
•The state’s economic projections also impact our revenues, this year’s Cost of Living Adjustment has been set at 1.07%. This creates less money for special education and transportation.

Affordable Workforce Housing in Development

The District is currently developing workforce housing that will result in over 300+ units dedicated to SB Unified staff in the coming years. This will ensure that we can attract and retain teachers and staff so that they can live and work in our community.

Our Commitment to an Impactful Agreement

While we have reached momentous agreements on health premiums and class size reduction, we have not yet been able to come to an agreement on salary with SBTA. However, the District agrees with our labor partners that something impactful needs to be done for our employees.

The Board of Trustees and District Leadership greatly appreciate the work all of our employees do for our community. Their efforts help shape the future of our students, and that dedication does not go unnoticed. We remain committed to letting the fiscal facts lead our negotiations. We look forward to finding a resolution reflecting that sentiment while ensuring fiscal sustainability. Our students deserve the best outcome from these negotiations.

SBUSD and SBTA Second Mediation Session Ends With No Agreement: Next Stage is Fact Finding

SBUSD AND SBTA SECOND MEDIATION SESSION ENDS WITH NO AGREEMENT:
NEXT STAGE IS FACT FINDING

Bargaining teams for the Santa Barbara Unified School District (SBUSD) and Santa Barbara Teachers Association (SBTA) met with the State-appointed mediator for eight hours on April 10 to continue to pursue a contract settlement. At the end of the session, the mediator informed the parties he is “releasing” them from the mediation process. This means the parties may proceed to the next stage of the legally mandated impasse process: fact finding.

THE FACT FINDING PROCESS
Once mediation ends, one or both parties can request to proceed to fact finding where they both submit factual evidence to a panel that will make recommendations for a settlement. The panel consists of three people: a neutral (either appointed by the Public Employment Relations Board [PERB] or selected by the parties) and one person selected by each party.

Unless the parties agree to extend legal timelines, the panel must meet within 10 days of appointment and must hold a hearing and issue a fact finding report within 30 days of appointment. The panel must consider a list of factors set forth by law. When the impasse is primarily over compensation, the major factors are usually the fiscal impact of the parties’ proposals and comparability with similar public school employers in similar communities.

The length of the fact finding process depends on many factors, such as the timing and length of the fact finding hearing, whether the parties agree to extend timelines, and whether the parties engage in post-fact finding negotiations. Typically, the process can take anywhere from three to six months, depending on these variables.

The fact finding report is advisory only and provides recommended terms of settlement for consideration by the parties. SBUSD must make the fact finding report public within 10 days of receipt.

POST-FACT FINDING CONSIDERATION OF THE REPORT: EITHER AGREEMENT OR END OF NEGOTIATIONS PROCESS
Once the advisory report is provided to the parties but before it becomes public, the parties must determine if recommendations in the report “break the impasse” and can serve as the basis for a settlement. This determination may involve further face-to-face negotiations or other means of communication.

If the parties cannot reach an agreement, a “second impasse” is reached, and the parties have completed their legal duty to negotiate. Each party now has the lawful right to take unilateral action. This means SBUSD has the legal right to unilaterally impose terms and conditions within the scope of its last, best offer to SBTA, and SBTA may engage in a lawful strike.

It is important for students and families to know that a legal strike typically cannot occur before the parties have gone through the entire impasse process.

The District will continue to participate in the impasse process in good faith in order to reach a fair and sustainable agreement for students, staff and the District community.

Next Steps:

Dr. John Becchio, Assistant Superintendent, Human Resources
Kim Hernandez, Assistant Superintendent, Business Services
John Schettler, Executive Director, Student & Family Services
Ann Peak, Director, Human Resources
Dare Holdren, Principal, San Marcos
Jennifer Foster, Principal, La Colina
Kelly Fresch, Principal, Adams
Gregory J. Dannis, Legal Counsel

SBUSD and SBTA Hold First Mediation Session; State Mediator Schedules Second Date

SBUSD AND SBTA HOLD FIRST MEDIATION SESSION

STATE MEDIATOR SCHEDULES SECOND DATE

SBUSD AND SBTA held their first meeting today with a State-appointed mediator in the first stage of the mandatory “impasse process” under our state collective bargaining law. After meeting for over eight hours, the mediator concluded the parties should continue their efforts to reach a settlement at a second meeting scheduled on April 10.

Since all conversations in mediation are confidential, this Update cannot disclose the options and ideas which were communicated through the mediator. The District is encouraged, however, that the mediator believes it is worthwhile to have a second meeting to continue our discussions in a good faith effort to reach an agreement.

NEXT STEPS: Mediation session number two is on April 10, 2024.

Labor Negotiations Update 1/19/24

SBUSD AND SBTA AGREE TO ENTER NEXT STAGE OF NEGOTIATIONS:
THE IMPASSE PROCESS – MEDIATION IS THE FIRST STEP

SBUSD AND SBTA have been negotiating over a new 2023-2024 contract since November 15, 2023 and have reached an agreement on all issues except for Wages for all certificated staff (salary), and Hours and Conditions mostly related to special education.

Under our state’s collective bargaining law, when the parties are unable to come to an agreement, they must participate in what is known as the “impasse process.” The law defines an impasse as when “the parties to a dispute over matters subject to negotiations have reached a point at which their differences in positions are so substantial and prolonged that future meetings would be futile.”

SBUSD and SBTA agree they have reached this stage and jointly declared an impasse on January 19, 2024. Since the parties are filing a joint declaration of impasse, the Public Employee Relations Board (PERB) is certain to“certify” the impasse.

The following is a summary of the impasse process:

MEDIATION
Once PERB certifies the impasse, the parties are assigned a state mediator whose services are provided at no cost to the parties. The mediator generally meets with the parties in a joint session first and then separates the parties and moves between the two groups in an attempt to resolve the issues and reach an agreement.

The mediator has no authority to force a specific resolution. There is no time limit on the duration of mediation (it can last months, although most involve at least two sessions), and only the mediator can terminate the mediation and send the parties to the next stage: fact finding.

FACT FINDING
One or both parties can request to proceed to the fact finding process where they both submit factual evidence to a fact finding panel in a hearing so that the panel may make recommendations for a settlement. The fact finding panel consists of three people: a neutral (either appointed by PERB or selected by the parties) and one person selected by each party.

Unless the parties agree to extend legal timelines, the panel must meet within 10 days of appointment, must hold a hearing and issue a fact finding report within 30 days of appointment. The panel must consider a list of factors set forth by law. When the impasse is primarily over compensation, the major factors are usually the fiscal impact of the parties’ proposals and comparability with similar public school employers in similar communities. The official criteria in this area are:

The interests and welfare of the public and the financial ability of the public school employer;
Comparison of the wages, hours, and conditions of employment of the employees involved in the fact finding proceeding with those other employees performing similar services and with other employees generally in public school employment in comparable communities; and
The overall compensation presently received by the employees, including direct wage compensation, vacations, holidays, and other excused time, insurance and pensions, and medical and hospitalization benefits.

The fact finding report is advisory only and provides recommended terms of settlement for consideration by the parties. SBUSD must make the fact finding report public within 10 days of receipt.

POST-FACT FINDING CONSIDERATION OF THE REPORT: EITHER AGREEMENT OR END OF NEGOTIATIONS PROCESS
Once the advisory report is provided to the parties but before it becomes public, the parties must determine if recommendations in the report “break the impasse” and can serve as the basis for a settlement. This determination may involve further face to face negotiations or communications such as texts or emails.

If the parties cannot reach agreement, a “second impasse” is reached, and the parties have completed their legal duty to negotiate. Each party then has the lawful right to take unilateral action. This means SBUSD would have the legal right to unilaterally impose terms and conditions within the scope of its last, best and final offer to SBTA, and SBTA may engage in a lawful strike.

It is important for students and families to know that a legal strike cannot occur before the parties have gone through the entire impasse process.

LENGTH OF THE IMPASSE PROCESS
The length of the impasse process depends on many factors such as how many sessions the mediator schedules, the timing and length of the fact finding hearing (and whether the parties agree to extend timelines), and whether the parties engage in post-fact finding negotiations. Typically, the process can take anywhere from three to six months depending on these variables.

SBUSD will continue to negotiate in good faith with SBTA and attempt to reach a final agreement by participating fully and with positive intent in the impasse process.

Labor Negotiations Update 1/11/24

SBTA RESUBMITS SAME SALARY PROPOSAL OF 23% TO SBUSD

SBTA Rejects District's December 12 Across the Board Salary Increase of 13% Plus Salary Enhancements of 4% at First and Last Steps of Schedule

SBUSD Makes “Process Proposal” to Facilitate Resolution of Parties’
Different Views of District Finances Now
Instead of Waiting Until End of Impasse Process

Introduction

This is Santa Barbara Unified School District’s (SBUSD) fourth Negotiations Update for 2024-2025 successor contract negotiations between the District and the Santa Barbara Teachers Association (SBTA). The District will continue to distribute the Negotiations Update after meetings with SBTA to inform our community on the progress of negotiations.

The parties met for their fourth negotiations session on January 11, 2024, a summary of which is below.

SBTA Resubmits Same Salary Proposal To SBUSD. SBTA Rejects District's December 12 Across the Board Salary Increase of 13% Plus Salary Enhancements of 4% at First and Last Steps of Schedule.

On December 12, 2023, SBTA proposed a 15% increase for the 2024-2025 school year and an 8% increase for the 2025-2026 school year.

On that same date, the District responded with an offer of a 9% increase for the 2024-25 school year and a 4% increase for the 2025-26 school year. In addition the District proposed a salary schedule restructuring designed to raise the beginning salary step by 4% and the highest salary step by 4%.

SBTA responded by rejecting the District’s proposal and resubmitting its previous December 12 proposal unchanged. SBTA’s proposal stated: “Today SBTA is standing on our last compensation proposal”. SBTA called specific attention to rejecting the District’s proposal to add a new highest salary step, which would result in a 9% raise plus an additional 4% step increase July 1, 2024 for over 200 unit members who are frozen at that current highest salary step.

The District stated it did not believe SBTA’s response was good faith negotiations and placed it in a position of negotiating against itself until SBTA might decide a proposal is acceptable. In effect, the District would have to make proposal after proposal while SBTA made no new proposals. The District declined to engage in this kind of one-sided negotiations.

SBTA’s proposal included an explanation of why it believes the District can afford its repeated offer. The District stated this information reveals vastly different perspectives of the District’s finances, which led the District to make a “process proposal” summarized below.

SBUSD Makes “Process Proposal” to Facilitate Resolution of Parties’ Different Views of District Finances Now Instead of Waiting Until End of Impasse Process

If parties are unable to resolve their differences in negotiations, they must enter the impasse process which includes mediation and fact finding. At fact finding, each party presents its data and information to a panel that includes one neutral party in an effort to persuade the neutral that the fiscal “facts” support one of the parties’ proposals or something in between. Normally these presentations involve budget experts from CTA and the District.

The District stated to SBTA its belief that when the process is impeding progress, the process should be changed, and SBTA’s resubmission of its month-old proposal demonstrated that the process was not working well. The District proposed a new process referred to as “Fact Finding Before Fact Finding,” summarized as follows:

Proposal: Fact finding Before Fact Finding: Instead of waiting for months until the final stage of the impasse process to engage in this in-depth budget analysis, the parties can and should do so now. This process could be as follows:

Each party would bring in their budget experts who would receive all relevant budget documents and any information proposed by either party to be included.
The budget experts would meet and confer as they determine, e.g., in person or digitally, with or without the parties present.
The budget experts would report out findings and recommendations as they determine, e.g., in writing to the parties and/or in person at a negotiations session. These findings and recommendations do not necessarily need to be in agreement; for example each budget expert could make their own recommendations and findings.
The negotiating teams would use the information provided to inform their proposals and, hopefully, move to an agreement or at least closer to an agreement.
Even assuming no agreement is reached, it is likely both parties will be better informed and more prepared to engage meaningfully in the impasse process.

The District emphasized that having “new eyes” examine financial information held a better promise of moving the parties forward than continuing the present process, stating, “We want to reach an agreement and we think this will help.”

SBTA stated it would consider the “Process Proposal” and respond to the District soon, possibly as early as Thursday evening.

Next Steps: The next negotiations session is on January 19.

Labor Negotiations Update 12/12/23

SBUSD AND SBTA REACH TENTATIVE AGREEMENTS
ON HEALTH & WELFARE BENEFITS AND CLASS SIZE

District-Paid 75% Of Medical Premiums Under Any Plan
Reduced Class Sizes Placed Permanently In Contract

December 12 SBTA Salary Proposal:
15% Increase for 2024-2025 and 8% Increase for 2025-2026

District Presents Financial Information Showing Impact of SBTA Proposal

December 12 SBUSD Salary Counterproposal:
9% Increase for 2024-2025
4% Increase for 2025-2026
Increase Beginning Salary Step by approximately 4%
Add new Step 20 at 4% Increase

Introduction

This is Santa Barbara Unified School District’s (SBUSD) third Negotiations Update for 2024-2025 successor contract negotiations between the District and the Santa Barbara Teachers Association (SBTA). The District will distribute the Negotiations Update after meetings with SBTA to inform our community on the progress of negotiations.

The parties met for their third negotiations session on December 12, 2023, a summary of which is below.

SBUSD and SBTA Reach Agreements On Health & Welfare Benefits And Class Size

After only three bargaining sessions, SBTA accepted the District’s’ 11/15/2023 Health and Welfare Benefits proposal and the District’s 11/28/2023 counterproposal on Class Size. The parties signed tentative agreements (TAs) on these two major subjects of negotiations, which provide:

Health and Welfare Benefits - District to Pay 75% of Medical Benefits:

Currently the District covers 40% to 60% of medical benefits premium costs, depending on the plan chosen by employees. Under the current contract, the District would cover up to 1% in premium increases absent a new agreement.

Under the TA, effective July 1, 2024, the District will cover 75% of medical benefit premium costs (including future premium increases) regardless of the plan chosen.

The District shared data on the impact of this proposal which would reduce monthly employee out of pocket costs as follows (the range depends on the plan chosen):

$102 to $406 (employee only coverage)
$340 to $736 (employee plus one)
$371 to $937 (family)

The above amounts are paid on a ten-month basis, so the annual savings to unit members are $1,020 to $4,060, $3,400 to $7,360 and $3,710 to $9,370.

The estimated District cost of this proposal is $3,081,422 to cover only the SBTA bargaining unit.

Reduced Class Sizes Placed Permanently In Contract

For the last three years, the District and SBTA have agreed to a year-to-year Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) calling for reduced class sizes below the maximums in the negotiated agreement. SBTA accepted SBUSD’s 11/28/2023 proposal to include reduced class sizes permanently in the negotiated agreement.

The reduced class sizes will be an additional $6.3M ongoing cost out of the regular budget because they were formerly paid for out of expiring one-time funds.

New SBTA Salary Proposal: 15% Increase for 2024-2025 and 8% Increase for 2025-2056 SBTA initially proposed a 20% salary increase for the 2024-2025 school year. SBTA’s new offer is for a 23% increase over two years – 15% in 2024-2025 and 8% in 2025-2026. SBTA stated that the current District reserve is 17% and can be reduced to the Board Policy of a minimum 10% reserve in furtherance of funding a salary increase.

District Presents Financial Information Showing Impact of SBTA Proposal
SBUSD presented SBTA with multiyear budget projects (MYPs) showing the impact of SBTA’s salary proposal as applied only to SBTA and as applied to all employees (the District assumes it will give the same raise to all employees). SBUSD also provided an MYP showing the impact of the District’s last salary proposal (8% increase in 2024-2025 and 4% increase in 2025-2026, as summarized below:

Proposal Projected 2025-2026 District Reserve

SBTA 12/12/2023 Proposal 15% 2023-25;
8% 2024-25 for SBTA only: 5.18%*
SBTA 12/12/2023 Proposal 15% 2023-25;
8% 2024-25 for all employees: <.35%>*
SBUSD 11/28/2023 Proposal
for all employees: 8.61%*

*Assumptions for these calculations:

Class Size reduction continues $6,310,255
Increased Health Insurance contribution: $3,502,410
Projected reductions: 20% in services/contracts and 15% in supplies, effective 2024-2025.
Elimination of all one-time funded positions
Significant cuts in areas including management, classified and certificated positions, contracted services, books and supplies, and travel and conferences

Based on the above, the District asked SBTA how its proposal could be reconciled with its statement in support of maintaining a minimum 10% reserve. The District noted that even its own initial proposal of 11/28 would require going below the 10% reserve mark.

New SBUSD Salary Counterproposal: 9% Increase for 2024-2025 and 4% increase for 2025-2026, Plus Increase Beginning Salary Step 1 by approximately 4% and add new Step 20 at 4%

The District increased its 11/28 salary proposal (8% for 2024-2025 and 4% for 2025-2026) as follows:

2024-2025:

9% salary schedule increase effective 7/1/2024
Make dollar amount of step 1 across all columns of certificated salary schedules equal to the dollar amount of step 2, effective 7/1/2024 (approximately a 4% increase)
Add new step 20 at the bottom of certificated salary schedules across all columns in an amount 4% greater than step 19.

2025-2026:

4% salary schedule increase effective 7/1/2025

Next Steps:

The next negotiation sessions are scheduled January 11, and 19, 2024 and February 6, 2024.

Dr. John Becchio, Assistant Superintendent, Human Resources
Kim Hernandez, Assistant Superintendent, Business Services
John Schettler, Executive Director, Student & Family Services
Ann Peak, Director, Human Resources
Dare Holdren, Principal, San Marcos
Jennifer Foster, Principal, La Colina
Kelly Fresch, Principal, Adams
Gregory J. Dannis, Legal Counsel

Labor Negotiations Update 11/28/23

SBUSD PROPOSES $22 MILLION TOTAL COMPENSATION PACKAGE TO SBTA

EQUAL TO A 19% RAISE OVER TWO YEARS

8% SALARY INCREASE FOR 2024-25 AND 4% SALARY INCREASE FOR 2025-26
DISTRICT-PAID 75% OF MEDICAL PREMIUMS UNDER ANY PLAN

CLASS SIZE REDUCTION PLACED PERMANENTLY IN CONTRACT

Introduction

This is Santa Barbara Unified School District’s (SBUSD) second Negotiations Update for 2024-2025 successor contract negotiations between the District and the Santa Barbara Teachers Association (SBTA). The District will distribute the Negotiations Update after meetings with SBTA to inform our community on the progress of negotiations.

The parties met for their second negotiations session on November 28, 2023, a summary of which is below.

The District is interested in reaching a fair settlement in a timely manner and to further this goal today, the District brought forward a proposal it believes can form the basis for an agreement. The District is intent on not engaging in incremental bargaining and put forth a proposal to bring an early settlement.

SBUSD Proposes $22 Million Total Compensation Package To SBTA - Equal to a 19% Raise Over Two Years

SBTA’s initial proposal of November 15, 2023 was for a 20% wage increase for 2024-25 and permanent class size reduction. Together, this proposal was estimated to cost $26.2 million.

In response, the District proposed a total compensation increase amounting to about $22 million over two years (2024-25 and 2025-26) for salary increases, an increase in the District’s contribution to medical benefits, and retaining reduced class sizes on an ongoing basis. Based on the cost of a 1% raise for the SBTA bargaining unit, the District’s total compensation package is estimated to be equal to a 19% raise over two years.

8% Salary Increase For 2024-25 And 4% Salary Increase For 2025-26
The District’s wage proposal is as follows:

SBUSD Counter Offer = $12,000,000

2024/2025: 8% salary increase effective July 1, 2024
2025/2026: 4% salary increase effective July 1, 2025
2026/2027: Contract reopeners for Article IV – Wages

The District provided SBTA with data showing that the 2023-24 increase alone would result in SBUSD ranking first out of six comparison unified districts in both beginning and maximum scheduled salaries:

Source: District Salary Schedules on Websites

The District also noted that the latest projections show the State Cost of Living Adjustment (COLA) for 2024-2025 to be around 1% (the prior projection was 3.94%). While the State’s projected COLA is 1%, the District’s proposal for that same year is for an 8% salary increase.

District-Paid 75% Of Medical Premiums Under Any Plan

As summarized in SBUSD’s Negotiations Update #1 (November 15, 2023), currently the District covers 40% to 60% of medical benefits premium costs, depending on the plan chosen by employees. Also, under the current contract, the District would cover 1% of premium increases absent a new agreement.

Under its new proposal, effective July 1, 2024, the District would cover 75% of medical benefit premium costs (including future premium increases) regardless of the particular plan chosen.

The District shared data on the impact of this proposal which would reduce monthly employee out-of-pocket costs as follows (the range depends on the plan chosen):

$102 to $406 (employee-only coverage)
$340 to $736 (employee plus one)
$371 to $937 (family)

The above amounts are paid on a ten-month basis, so the annual savings are $1,020 to $4,060, $3,400 to $7,360 and $3,710 to $9,370.

The estimated District cost of this proposal in 2024/2025 is $3,081,422 to cover only the SBTA bargaining unit. This would be an ongoing cost that would increase by $427,812 in 2025/2026, making this a total of $3,509,234

Class Size Reduction Placed Permanently In Contract
For the last three years, the District and SBTA have agreed to year-to-year side letter agreements calling for reduced class sizes. SBTA has proposed to include the side letter language – and in some cases to further reduce those numbers – permanently in the negotiated agreement.

The District agreed with SBTA to place class size reduction permanently in the contract and proposed to continue the class size reduction numbers contained in the latest side letter agreement. These reduced class sizes have been funded by one-time funds which are expiring. This means the $6.2 million ongoing cost to maintain reduced class sizes would have to be paid out of regular District funds and represents a new, ongoing $6.2 million expenditure for the SBTA bargaining unit.

Next Steps:
The third negotiation session is on December 12. Additional dates have been set for January 11th, January 19th, and February 6th.

Labor Negotiations Update 11/15/23

SBUSD AND SBTA HOLD FIRST NEGOTIATIONS SESSION
FOR SUCCESSOR CONTRACT

Parties Exchange Proposals on Total Compensation:
District Proposes to Increase Contribution to Cover 75% of Medical Premiums and
SBTA Proposes 20% Wage Increase for 2024-2025 School Year

SBTA Proposes to Maintain Class Size Reductions

Introduction
This is Santa Barbara Unified School District’s (SBUSD) first Negotiations Update for 2024-2025 successor contract negotiations between the District and the Santa Barbara Teachers Association (SBTA). “Successor” negotiations means all sections of the contract can potentially be discussed. The District will distribute the Negotiations Update after meetings with SBTA to inform our community on the progress of negotiations.

The District and SBTA met for their first session on November 15, 2023. Before providing its initial proposal to SBTA, the District negotiations team presented its “Core Values” which will serve as its criteria to analyze proposals and counterproposals from both parties during these negotiations:

SBUSD Core Values In Negotiations

Improve student outcomes
Support quality educators to promote success for all students
Remain fiscally solvent in both the short and long term
Be transparent and adhere to our agreements
Pursue coherence and clarity of purpose while acknowledging diverse needs across the District
Be passionate about the issues through respectful dialogue

Parties Exchange Proposals on Total Compensation
The District believes “total compensation” is comprised of two major factors - health benefits and salaries. At the parties’ first session, the District gave SBTA an initial health benefits proposal and SBTA gave the District its initial salary proposal.

District Proposes to Increase Contribution to Cover 75% of Medical Premiums
Currently the District covers 40% to 60% of medical benefits premium costs, depending on the plan chosen by employees. Also, under the current contract, the District would cover 1% of premium increases absent a new agreement.

Under its new proposal, effective July 1, 2024, the District would cover 75% of medical benefit premium costs (including future premium increases) regardless of the particular plan chosen.

The District shared data on the impact of this proposal which would reduce monthly employee out-of-pocket costs as follows (the range depends on the plan chosen):

$102 to $406 (employee only coverage)
$340 to $736 (employee plus one)
$371 to $937 (family)

The above amounts are paid on a ten-month basis, so the annual savings are $1,020 to $4,060, $3,400 to $7,360 and $3,710 to $9,370.

The estimated District cost of this proposal is $3,081,422 to cover only the SBTA bargaining unit.

About 600 SBTA unit members (out of about 850 total) participate in District-provided medical benefits, so the District’s proposal would benefit about 70% of the bargaining unit, not counting additional unit members who might elect to participate based on the District’s 75% proposal.

SBTA Proposes 20% Wage Increase for 2024-2025 School Year
SBTA’s initial proposal is for “a 20% increase in salary across all steps and classes (including stipends), beginning with the 2024-25 school year.” SBTA stated its proposal represented a “seismic shift.” SBTA clarified that this increase is proposed to occur in one year – the 2024-2025 school year.

SBTA agreed with the District’s initial estimate that the cost of this proposal would be $20 million for the bargaining unit. In response to District questions, SBTA stated its belief that the District could afford this proposal through spending down reserves (which are one-time funds) and making potentially major changes in District spending.

SBTA Proposes to Maintain Class Size Reductions
For the last three years, the District and SBTA have agreed to a year-to-year Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) calling for reduced class sizes below the maximums in the negotiated agreement. SBTA has proposed to include the MOU class size maximums – and in some cases to further reduce those numbers – permanently in the negotiated agreement.

SBTA agreed with the District’s estimated $6.2 million cost of maintaining the MOU reduced class sizes. The District reminded SBTA that the MOU reduced class sizes have been funded by one-time funds which are expiring. This means the $6.2 million ongoing cost to maintain MOU class sizes would have to be paid out of regular District funds.

Next Steps:
The next negotiation session is on November 28.

Dr. John Becchio, Assistant Superintendent Human Resources
Kim Hernandez, Assistant Superintendent, Business Services
John Schettler, Executive Director Student Family Services
Ann Peak, Director Human Resources
Dare Holdren, Principal, San Marcos
Jennifer Foster, Principal, La Colina
Kelly Fresch, Principal, Adams
Gregory J. Dannis, Legal Counsel