“Invest In Students”: Dublin Teachers Continue Strike Into Third Day

DUBLIN, CA — Dublin teachers will continue their strike into Wednesday after no agreement was reached Monday or Tuesday night between the Dublin Teachers Association and the Dublin Unified School District.

"The District and DTA had a collaborative, productive discussion to agree on the cost analysis of the proposals presented. While the discussion was constructive, the parties remained far apart and were unable to reach an agreement today," Assistant Superintendent Matt Campbell wrote in an email Tuesday afternoon.

Starting at 6:45 a.m. Tuesday, hundreds of teachers gathered at school sites across the city to picket, and marched through the streets chanting “Invest in students!” and “DTA all the way!” A large crowd gathered at Kolb Park at 1 p.m., where Dublin teachers, students, Dublin High School alumnus and gubernatorial candidate Eric Swalwell, and California Teachers Association President David Goldberg all gave spirited speeches in favor of the teachers.

Schools are running on adjusted schedules, and administrators and guest teachers are supervising classrooms during the strike. That included Superintendent Chris Funk, who staffed fourth and fifth grade classes, according to reporting from Pleasanton Weekly. Substitute teachers gave students review packets to complete, and no new material was taught. Many students stayed home, either in solidarity with teachers or amid reports that schools were disorganized.

Funk told Pleasanton Weekly he was “very disappointed” that teachers chose to strike, arguing that it hurts employees, the district and families alike. “They’re being treated as pawns,” he said of students.

“From what I've heard from students who did go to school, it sounded like the situation on campus was somewhat disorganized. Some said teachers were frustrated when students arrived, and several students reported being left without clear supervision or direction for parts of the day. Because of that, a number of students ended up leaving campus early,” a Dublin High School senior who stayed home told Patch, noting that “most of” his friends also stayed home. “Overall, it seems like the school was not operating in a very structured way today.”

In a Nextdoor post, a Dublin parent said she was keeping her children home. “From what I know, the kids that are going to school are not engaged or learning anything. I am not sending my children to school without proper support and supervision in place,” she wrote.

“They’re not being supervised. There’s not enough supervision for them,” Emerald High School math teacher Jaime Roberts told the East Bay Times. Roberts also said she witnessed many students check in to make attendance, and then turn around to go home. According to a Pleasanton Weekly report, DTA members informed students at Dublin High School of the upcoming strike, and students left immediately.

Superintendent Chris Funk said in a letter Monday night that the district has received “multiple reports from school sites that members of the Dublin Teachers Association have blocked or attempted to block access to campus for families, students, and deliveries.”

“Let me be clear: this behavior is unacceptable and must stop immediately,” Funk said. “While individuals have the right to protest, they do not have the right to interfere with students and families simply trying to access their schools.”

“Every single site was so inspiring, because at every single site our members were out picketing for their students. That’s not what they expected to be doing on a Monday morning. They expected to be teaching their students,” DTA President Brad Dobrzenski said at a rally at Kolb Park. “But we know that our students right now do not have the best learning conditions, and that’s why we are all here. And that’s why you were all out this morning, making sure that the community knows Dublin students deserve the best.”

“What we are fighting for is the ability to retain and recruit the best educators for our students,” DTA Bargaining Chair Monica Lewis said at the rally. “And what we are fighting for is smaller class sizes and elementary counselors. In our fight, we have to achieve all three of these goals. Because if we have smaller class sizes, we need to be able to recruit excellent, qualified teachers to run those new classes that are created.”

“We are one of the richest communities in the world, in the richest state in the richest country in the history of the world. And yet we are asking the people who we have entrusted with the task of teaching our children to live in the margins, to commute from the hinterlands, to shrink. That is not economic failure. That is moral failure. That is a moral failure,” said Rep. Eric Swalwell, a DHS alumnus and candidate for governor who pointed out two of his former teachers in the crowd.

“Teachers are the backbone of our community. You are the co-authors of our children’s lives. And for that — for that — we don’t just owe you a raise. We don’t just owe the community smaller classrooms. We owe you everything.”

“There’s no overstating how invaluable teachers are. They’re the ones in the field every day, shaping us both as students and as people. I’ve said this before and I’ll say it again: without our teachers, this district is nothing. I can’t describe how important my teachers have been to me — as guides and role models, as confidants and third parents. As students, we want nothing but their continued well-being. So to our district, we ask you to provide for that well-being,” said a DHS senior named Gail.

The district and the union have spent months bargaining over issues like wages, health care, school counselors, and class sizes. The district accepted the recommendations of a neutral fact-finding team, which proposed a roughly $11.6 million package that would grant a 2.1% ongoing pay raise, a one-time payment equal to 1% of each member’s base salary, and an increase in health care premium contributions each year, and the formation of a committee to discuss how to reduce class sizes.

The union is asking for a 3.5% salary increase, a 3% bonus, and full employer-paid coverage for individual employees. They are also seeking a full-time counselor at all elementary schools, a cap of transitional kindergarten classes at 20 students, and either smaller classes or overage pay.

DUSD has said that the union’s request would result in further cuts to staff and programs, and that Dublin teachers are already among the highest paid in the region. According to the neutral fact-finding report, the average Dublin teacher salary of $113,393 is higher than the $107,829 average among comparable districts.

Assistant Superintendent Matt Campbell said that the union’s proposal would cost a total of $32 million, which would likely mean further cuts to staff and programs, a fate that has befallen other districts that granted union proposals.

DTA has argued that it has offered suggestions on how to cut what it deems wasteful spending in order to fund its proposal, which the district has ignored.

“Claiming there is "no money" to invest in students is not acceptable nor is it true,” DTA said in an Instagram post. “The money is certifiably there. The board and management just have to MAKE THE CHOICE to invest it in counselors and class sizes instead of consultants.”

School site pickets were held Tuesday morning at every school and work site, followed by a rally at the district office at 4:15 p.m. A board meeting also took place Tuesday night, which DTA asked district parents and students to attend.

"We recognize the urgency of having our teachers back in the classroom working with our students, and we will continue to work toward a resolution as quickly as possible, while maintaining respect for the fiscal realities we face," Campbell said in an email.

SEE ALSO:

• Dublin Teachers Strike Monday After Weekend Talks Fail
• Dublin Teachers Plan Strike Starting Monday