Thousands of students and parents in the Natomas Unified School District arrived at an unusual, but not unexpected sight on campus on Tuesday.Instead of being in the classroom, teachers were walking the picket line for the district’s first-ever teachers’ strike.”I am actually shocked this is even a situation,” said Ashley Battle, a mother of two whose husband is a teacher at Inderkum High School. “Why are we discussing paying teachers what they are worth?”Shortly before 8 a.m., teachers officially began walking the picket line, confirming that no deal had been reached to avoid a strike.”The district canceled talks yesterday (Monday),” said Nico Vaccaro, head of the Natomas Teachers Association. “The message to parents is we’re here fighting not just for educators. We’re here fighting for students as well. We know we have a retention crisis in Natomas. We had 106 educators leave Natomas last year. It’s very concerning. We can’t keep teachers here.”Some parents at Paso Verde School have complained about the district’s plan for students during the strike.Christina Scott said her daughter called her, saying her 8th-grade class wasn’t receiving instruction.”Basically, she’s telling me that there were no teachers around and that she and some other classmates were put in the gym and they had nothing to do,” she said. “If it turns out that they are actually not learning and just being housed in the gym all day long, they will not be going back tomorrow,” said Jlay Tor, another Paso Verde parent.KCRA 3 contacted the district to address these concerns and to see if they were isolated to just that specific school.The district sent a statement saying in part, “We are working to ensure safe supervision for students, access to meals, and that students have the resources and supports they rely on every day.” The district’s actions ahead of the strikeAt a news conference Monday, Superintendent Robyn Castillo urged parents to “plan with flexibility” as schools would remain open, classroom activities would be planned, and meal services would continue during the strike.”We know things will look different,” said Castillo during Monday’s news conference. “Nobody wants a strike … This is not where we hoped to be.”The district said it has offered teachers a 4% salary increase and adjustments to health care costs.However, the Natomas Teachers Association has said the district is not fully investing in schools to fill open positions.Meanwhile, at Twin Rivers Unified School DistrictEducators spent their fourth day of picketing over failed negotiations.The school district asserts that it has a serious and substantive offer on the table, which includes a 2.5% salary increase in the first year, retroactive to July 1, 2025. Teachers would then get a roughly 2.25% increase in the second year.Twin Rivers Unified’s offer also includes full district-paid family health insurance coverage for two years.On Monday afternoon, the California Teachers Association (CTA), on behalf of Twin Rivers Unified educators, said the union agreedd to return to the bargaining table at the request of California Assemblymember Maggy Krell.But negotiations ended in the late afternoon Tuesday without an agreement and later educators and community members rallied at a school board meeting. The strike will resume on Wednesday. See more coverage of top California stories here | Download our app | Subscribe to our morning newsletter | Find us on YouTube here and subscribe to our channel

Thousands of students and parents in the Natomas Unified School District arrived at an unusual, but not unexpected sight on campus on Tuesday.

Instead of being in the classroom, teachers were walking the picket line for the district’s first-ever teachers’ strike.

“I am actually shocked this is even a situation,” said Ashley Battle, a mother of two whose husband is a teacher at Inderkum High School. “Why are we discussing paying teachers what they are worth?”

Shortly before 8 a.m., teachers officially began walking the picket line, confirming that no deal had been reached to avoid a strike.

“The district canceled talks yesterday (Monday),” said Nico Vaccaro, head of the Natomas Teachers Association. “The message to parents is we’re here fighting not just for educators. We’re here fighting for students as well. We know we have a retention crisis in Natomas. We had 106 educators leave Natomas last year. It’s very concerning. We can’t keep teachers here.”

Some parents at Paso Verde School have complained about the district’s plan for students during the strike.

Christina Scott said her daughter called her, saying her 8th-grade class wasn’t receiving instruction.

“Basically, she’s telling me that there were no teachers around and that she and some other classmates were put in the gym and they had nothing to do,” she said.

“If it turns out that they are actually not learning and just being housed in the gym all day long, they will not be going back tomorrow,” said Jlay Tor, another Paso Verde parent.

KCRA 3 contacted the district to address these concerns and to see if they were isolated to just that specific school.

The district sent a statement saying in part, “We are working to ensure safe supervision for students, access to meals, and that students have the resources and supports they rely on every day.”

The district’s actions ahead of the strike

At a news conference Monday, Superintendent Robyn Castillo urged parents to “plan with flexibility” as schools would remain open, classroom activities would be planned, and meal services would continue during the strike.

“We know things will look different,” said Castillo during Monday’s news conference. “Nobody wants a strike … This is not where we hoped to be.”

The district said it has offered teachers a 4% salary increase and adjustments to health care costs.

However, the Natomas Teachers Association has said the district is not fully investing in schools to fill open positions.

Meanwhile, at Twin Rivers Unified School District

Educators spent their fourth day of picketing over failed negotiations.

The school district asserts that it has a serious and substantive offer on the table, which includes a 2.5% salary increase in the first year, retroactive to July 1, 2025. Teachers would then get a roughly 2.25% increase in the second year.

Twin Rivers Unified’s offer also includes full district-paid family health insurance coverage for two years.

On Monday afternoon, the California Teachers Association (CTA), on behalf of Twin Rivers Unified educators, said the union agreedd to return to the bargaining table at the request of California Assemblymember Maggy Krell.

But negotiations ended in the late afternoon Tuesday without an agreement and later educators and community members rallied at a school board meeting.

The strike will resume on Wednesday.

See more coverage of top California stories here | Download our app | Subscribe to our morning newsletter | Find us on YouTube here and subscribe to our channel