Educators in the Twin Rivers Unified School District are set to go on strike Thursday, a walkout that would be the first in the Sacramento County district’s two-decade history. If no agreement is reached, the strike will begin Thursday morning and continue until a deal is reached.The district says schools will remain open during the strike and that it is offering incentive pay for substitute teachers in an effort to keep classrooms staffed. The district has said its “top priority is making sure every student has a safe, supportive, and structured school day.”Some parents say they plan to keep their children home.“We’re staying home. We’re not crossing picket lines,” said Mariya Kalina Fisher, a Twin Rivers parent whose children attend Hillsdale Elementary School. Fisher said families would bear the burden of the disruption. “It’s the families who are going to have to sacrifice because their children are not getting the kinds of education that they need,” she said.The Twin Rivers teachers’ union is seeking higher pay to stay competitive with neighboring districts, fully covered health care benefits, and smaller class sizes. Union leaders say those issues have contributed to staffing shortages and difficulty retaining educators.“We started the year with over 100 vacancies. We currently have 83 right now,” said Brittoni Ward, president of the Twin Rivers United Educators. “That’s essentially 2,000 students who do not have an educator. So that’s a problem. That’s a real crisis.” Ward added that the union believes the district has the resources to address it.District officials have pushed back, telling families in a letter that the union’s proposals are not supported by the district’s financial outlook and warning that committing beyond its budget could lead to layoffs.“A raise that leads to layoffs is not a raise,” the district wrote. “It is a trade, your neighbor’s job for your pay increase. And when the layoffs come, it is the students who lose.”In preparation for the strike, school board trustees last month approved hiring substitutes to replace striking teachers, with the district offering up to $600 per day. Fisher criticized the incentive pay, saying, “I think it’s icky and I think it’s weird to raise it for substitute teachers, but not the teachers that are here day in and day out who know these children.”Parents said they are hoping negotiations produce a quick resolution.“They might be home Friday. I don’t know that we can roll this into next week,” Fisher said. “So we’re really just hoping that these negotiations take place, that teachers are satisfied with the outcomes, and that we can get back to, you know, life as usual.”The district did not immediately respond to questions about how many substitute teachers it has on staff and whether a separate proposed strike next week in the Natomas Unified School District could affect substitute availability.
SACRAMENTO, Calif. —
Educators in the Twin Rivers Unified School District are set to go on strike Thursday, a walkout that would be the first in the Sacramento County district’s two-decade history.
If no agreement is reached, the strike will begin Thursday morning and continue until a deal is reached.
The district says schools will remain open during the strike and that it is offering incentive pay for substitute teachers in an effort to keep classrooms staffed. The district has said its “top priority is making sure every student has a safe, supportive, and structured school day.”
Some parents say they plan to keep their children home.
“We’re staying home. We’re not crossing picket lines,” said Mariya Kalina Fisher, a Twin Rivers parent whose children attend Hillsdale Elementary School.
Fisher said families would bear the burden of the disruption.
“It’s the families who are going to have to sacrifice because their children are not getting the kinds of education that they need,” she said.
The Twin Rivers teachers’ union is seeking higher pay to stay competitive with neighboring districts, fully covered health care benefits, and smaller class sizes. Union leaders say those issues have contributed to staffing shortages and difficulty retaining educators.
“We started the year with over 100 vacancies. We currently have 83 right now,” said Brittoni Ward, president of the Twin Rivers United Educators. “That’s essentially 2,000 students who do not have an educator. So that’s a problem. That’s a real crisis.”
Ward added that the union believes the district has the resources to address it.
District officials have pushed back, telling families in a letter that the union’s proposals are not supported by the district’s financial outlook and warning that committing beyond its budget could lead to layoffs.
“A raise that leads to layoffs is not a raise,” the district wrote. “It is a trade, your neighbor’s job for your pay increase. And when the layoffs come, it is the students who lose.”
In preparation for the strike, school board trustees last month approved hiring substitutes to replace striking teachers, with the district offering up to $600 per day. Fisher criticized the incentive pay, saying, “I think it’s icky and I think it’s weird to raise it for substitute teachers, but not the teachers that are here day in and day out who know these children.”
Parents said they are hoping negotiations produce a quick resolution.
“They might be home Friday. I don’t know that we can roll this into next week,” Fisher said. “So we’re really just hoping that these negotiations take place, that teachers are satisfied with the outcomes, and that we can get back to, you know, life as usual.”
The district did not immediately respond to questions about how many substitute teachers it has on staff and whether a separate proposed strike next week in the Natomas Unified School District could affect substitute availability.