Jan 5, 2016 - Liberty Union High School District. 20 Oak Street. Brentwood, CA 94513. Phone: 925.634.2166 Fax (925) 634-
Liberty Union High School District 20 Oak Street Brentwood, CA 94513 Phone: 925.634.2166 Fax (925) 634-1687 Eric L. Volta, Superintendent
January 5, 2016
Dear LUHSD Community, I would like to inform you of the facts relating to the recent negotiations process with our local teachers union. As outlined in the November 18th edition of the The Press, we have been in negotiations since March 2015. Much has been accomplished in the dozen or more meetings in terms of clarifications of contract language. Unfortunately we are at an impasse primarily due to compensation. There is an initial mediation session scheduled for Thursday, January 7th as the first step after impasse. The total compensation offer on the table is 5%; 4.5% in salary with an additional 0.5% added to our benefits package. This offer will raise the top teacher’s salary in the district to $93,161.75 or $503.58/day when divided by the 185-day work year. The average teacher salary in the district will increase to $73,429.02 or $396.91/day. In addition, the district’s benefits package offer will increase to a total of $19,873.80/year for health, vision, and dental for those teachers taking family benefits. The District values our teachers as we do with all of our employees and there is no way to place a value on that adult that truly makes a profound positive impact on a student. That is why, if the proposal on the table were accepted, the teachers’ compensation will have increased by 11.54% over three years, and the total amount spent on the benefits packages will have increased by 2.5% of the teacher salary cost. The District also made an initial proposal to increase to all extra-duty stipends (coaches, advisors, department chairs, etc.) by 5%. This is in addition to the automatic step and column increases for longevity and education. I would like to acknowledge that over the past three years, teachers have agreed to add two staff development days to their work year and have agreed to increase their minimum work day by five minutes. It is important to note that, by law, school districts are required to project their budgets three years out. This multiyear budget is also reviewed by the County Office of Education. In projecting a multiyear budget with the most recent proposal included, it shows that the district is willing to spend down the fund balance by as much as $4.9 million over the next three years. Much of this is due to the dramatic increases to the employer contributions to the state retirement system. Additionally, with the passage of a state-wide school bond measure still in question, it is up to the District to find ways to keep our facilities up-to-date. One example of this is the new science wing that is currently being constructed at Liberty High School to replace 6 portables that were installed over 25 years ago. Unfortunately, there are more projects on our list to accommodate the enrollment increases we anticipate and to “equalize” our facilities.
The Liberty Union High School District does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, or disability.
As with you I am hopeful that through the mediation process we can reach an agreement with our teachers that will still support our highest priority, our students. It should be said that the negotiations process should be conducted outside of the classroom and outside of the minimum work day. If you have questions or concerns, please call your site administration, or Assistant Superintendent of Human Resources, Denise Rugani at 634-2166 ext. 2045. Sincerely,
Eric L. Volta
Relevant Links: http://www.thepress.net/news/liberty-union-high-school-district-teachers-union-declaresimpasse/article_f4140316-8e4f-11e5-9097-77d4bd4d85dc.html http://www.boarddocs.com/ca/luhsd/Board.nsf/Public
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