The Fremont Unified School District, which is already facing layoffs and massive budget cuts, now has the threat of a teachers strike looming. Thom Jensen reports.
The Fremont Unified School District, which is already facing layoffs and massive budget cuts, now has the threat of a teachers strike looming.
Graduation day at Fremont’s Irvington High School is just two months away, but even though a strike could be looming, some of the seniors said they will stand behind their teachers.
“I mean, I support the teachers because I feel like they should stand up for their rights, and that’s completely unfair to them,” said Maryam A, a senior at Irvington.
Meanwhile, parents are concerned with the possible strike. Fremont Teachers Union president Victoria Chon said the district negotiators refuse to budge on key issues like class sizes and health insurance benefits.
“Our association did take a vote, with 93% support for doing what is necessary in order to get what our students deserve,” she said.
Chon, who was a sixth-grade teacher before being elected union leader, said that some families pay thousands monthly for health and dental coverage because the district contributes zero dollars, and some teachers have left Fremont because of the high costs.
“We want to make sure we are able to stay her and give our students the best, what they really deserve, so everything we are doing is fighting for them,” she said.
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Chon added that some classes are as large as 40 students with no real caps to limit sizes.
“Especially in secondary. So, in middle and high school, so just making sure that they’re capping our class sizes, so they’re staying sustainable,” she said.
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The district has offered a 5% pay bump, but the union also wants at least $1,000 annually towards health care expenses and those class-size caps.
The district released a statement Wednesday, saying in part: "Fremont Unified School District (FUSD) values our educators. They play a critical role in shaping the future of our students, and we firmly believe they deserve increased compensation. However, like most districts throughout the state, the financial realities we face present significant challenges."
A mediator will hear arguments from both sides in a fact-finding session Monday. But the district said in a written statement on its website: “If this does not lead to an agreement, the impasse process is over. In such an event, the union may legally engage in concerted activities (like a strike) and the District may legally impose its 'last best offer.'”
The union plans a rally that day seeking support from families and they said that meeting will be the final chance to avoid a strike which could begin as early as next week.
The district's full statement:
"Fremont Unified School District (FUSD) values our educators. They play a critical role in shaping the future of our students, and we firmly believe they deserve increased compensation. However, like most districts throughout the state, the financial realities we face present significant challenges. Factors such as uncertainty in state funding, declining enrollment, the expiration of one-time COVID relief funds, rising pension costs, and ambiguity in federal funding, limit our ability to sustainably fund the compensation increases being proposed.
"Since 1997, FUSD employees have covered their own medical and dental expenses. In this round of negotiations FUSD has proposed covering ongoing dental insurance expenses for our employees as a step toward addressing this concern, we are currently unable to extend coverage to both medical and dental given our financial situation.
"We recognize that manageable class sizes are an important factor in ensuring a high-quality learning environment. FUSD makes every effort to maintain reasonable class sizes within our budgetary and staffing constraints. Addressing this issue fully would place significant strain on the district's already limited financial resources.
"FUSD is committed to reaching a sustainable agreement with FUDTA and avoiding any disruption to student learning. Both parties have engaged in mediation, and while progress has been made on many issues, some key differences remain. The upcoming fact-finding session on April 7th is an important step in the process, and we remain hopeful that it will lead to a resolution that avoids any disruption, supports our educators, maintains fiscal responsibility, and keeps students at the center of our work."
