After 12 bargaining sessions, the District finally provided a partial response to economics. Despite rhetoric from the school board that this District wants to be the Destination District for California, the District’s proposals don’t reflect that.
To put Sac City on the path to becoming a Destination District, we have proposed the following:
- Maintaining class sizes at 24 to 1 in grades K through 3 and lowering class sizes grades 4 through 12.
- Making arts and music available to all students in the District.
- A committee to develop ways to increase enrollment and improve operational performance, like the enrollment process.
- Replacing Appendix D with an improved Special Education program that adds more resources at full inclusion sites, and ensuring that inclusionary practices are properly resourced throughout the District
- Increasing the number of school nurses, psychologists, program specialists, and other professional support staff consistent with nationally recommended standards.
- Develop and implement an early intervention program.
- Making it possible for all students, including special needs students, to receive physical education.
- Implementing a resourced, bottom-up restorative practices culture throughout the District.
- Teacher-driven professional development.
- An improved hiring and transfer process that will enable the District to fill positions expeditiously and more fairly.
- A method to address concerns regarding future retiree health costs, without disrupting current programs.
- Competitive salaries to allow the District to recruit and retain teachers who reflect the diversity of District.
The District has rejected every single one of those proposals.
In response, the District has offered an economic proposal that makes no improvement in services to students and no improvements in staffing, provides no additional resources or support to special education, and provides no increased opportunities to make arts and music available to students. The District has even rejected our proposal to make physical education available to all special needs students.
It’s time to put students first.