We are less than three months away from the end of the school year, and our union is not in a strong bargaining position, to say the least. Our “big bargaining” strategy has helped create a detailed and well thought-out proposal, but it has not pressured the district in any way, as evidenced by OUSD’s blatant foot-dragging: the district has not submitted most articles of its proposal, knowing that pre-strike procedures (mediation, etc.) take time and OEA cannot strike at the end of the year. Big bargaining has also done nothing to engage the wider membership in bargaining: members have no idea what the costs of our proposals are, how much money can be found to pay for them within OUSD’s top-heavy and consultant-filled budget, and what OEA’s game plan is for us to get a decent contract. 

To add insult to injury, OUSD’s Superintendent and School Board President have just announced a very fishy budget “adjustment” proposal that is purported to fund OEA’s salary increase among other things. Luckily it was voted down by sympathetic Board members, but it will resurface in some form, and the question of how to budget for OEA’s proposal has yet to be solved. Some of the cuts in the proposal were reasonable (for example reductions in the enrollment office), but most of them were not, such as cuts to classified staff. Not to mention, OUSD has announced the “consolidation” of many teacher positions at sites already, regardless of this proposal. Instead of chopping from the top, they are reducing the staff that serves the students directly. 

OUSD has 100 managers making over $150k/year with the top suits making over $400k/year. Spending on administrator salaries in OUSD is six times higher than the state average! Spending on consultants is more than three and a half times the state average for large districts. The district is right to make “budget adjustments,” but these should be from the wasteful managerial layer in the district, not from teachers and staff who serve students.