The on-going salary negotiations between the Brea Olinda Unified School District and the Brea Olinda Teachers Association came to a screeching halt on Feb. 21. No salary agreement was reached.
At least they agreed on one thing, which was to use a state-appointed mediator. The mediation will take place on March 28, at the district office in the Brea Civic and Cultural Center. If the mediator, assigned by the Public Employment Relations Board, cannot come up with a compromise that will result in a settlement between the district and BOTA, the mediator will conduct a fact-finding process and submit a report to the state. But it doesn’t end there.
“Mediation is the initial step in the impasse process,” said Rick Champion, assistant superintendent of business services. “We will continue discussions and strive for solutions that are mutually beneficial.”
According to a state budget article on the BOUSD website, California’s public schools and their teachers are annually funded through the state’s general fund revenue and local property taxes. The article further said that typically 40% of the state’s general fund budget is for education.
Champion pointed out that the governor’s January 2024 proposed budget has a $14.3 billion drop in school funding over the three-year budget window from 2022-23 to 2024-25. Plus an updated estimate released on Feb. 14 projected an additional decrease estimated at $7.7 billion.
Every California school district receives the same cost of living increase, or COLA, but the state’s Local Control Funding Formula or LCFF, gives additional money to districts with many students that are in the foster-care system, English-language learners and those who are from low-income families. Brea does not fit that criterion.
BOUSD continues to be the lowest funded district in Orange County due to lower state revenues, declined enrollment, average daily attendance, increased pension costs and unfunded state program costs. Also the…
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