Capistrano Unified School District
SAN JUAN CAPISTRANO—Agreement on a two-year contract with classified workers in the Capistrano Unified School District (CUSD) has helped restore a 2 percent reserve used to temporarily balance the budget while negotiations took place.
The settlement with the California School Employees Association (CSEA), approved by the CUSD Board of Trustees on Tuesday night, saves the district $5.3 million and helps restore the state-mandated budget reserve at 2 percent.
“We are extremely proud of the sacrifices our classified workers have made to help us through these extraordinarily difficult budget times,” Board President Anna Bryson said. “The leadership of our new superintendent and our senior staff was critical in coming to terms with CSEA. Only with the help of all of our employees can we weather this crisis and still provide the high quality education our children deserve and our community demands.”
The District’s classified workers, who include employees such as instructional assistants, occupational therapists, food service workers and clerical staff, overwhelmingly ratified the contract on Sept. 15. They will take between five and 12.5 unpaid days, accept a 0.7 percent pay reduction effective retroactive to Sept. 1, forgo automatic pay increases for individual employees for one year and consolidate work hours and calendars. The contract runs through June 2012.
“I am happy that we came to an agreement through mediation and I am happy that we have some stability,” CSEA President Ronda Walen said. “A lot of our classified workers have been anxious not knowing their financial future, but we understood that sacrifices would have to be made.”
With the CSEA contract now ratified and approved, CUSD employees groups have contributed approximately $27 million in salary and benefit concessions, which contributed significantly toward closing the estimated $34 million shortfall the District faced for 2010-11.
“When you are negotiating the livelihood of your employees, things are never easy,” Superintendent Joseph M. Farley said. “It is my hope that we are close to the end of making difficult choices that hurt our students, our employees and our communities. Everyone is grateful to CSEA for its willingness to negotiate for the sake of our children and for proving, once again, that the education of our children is the highest priority for all of us.”
Since 2007-08, CUSD has cut approximately $100 million from its general fund budget. Officials estimate the District will need to cut an additional $10 million from its 2011-12 budget.
How many straws can the camel's back hold? Time will tell.
Posted by: history repeats | September 29, 2010 at 07:15 PM