Teachers at the Dublin Unified School District took to the picket lines Monday morning after weekend bargaining sessions failed to produce a last-minute contract agreement.
In February, the Dublin Teachers Association voted overwhelmingly to authorize a strike following state-mandated mediation in January.
On Friday, DUSD Superintendent Chris Funk said the two sides were still trying to hammer out a deal, which failed to materialize over the weekend.
No additional negotiating sessions were scheduled as of Monday morning but schools remained open, albeit on an adjusted schedule.
The teachers have asked for a 3.5% salary increase, health benefit improvements and class-size reductions, including a “hard cap” of 20 students for Transitional Kindergarten classes, College Prep teacher totals reduced from 165 students down to 150 students per teacher, and high school PE classes reduced from 250 students to 200 per PE teacher, among other things.
Based on its understanding of a recent fact-finding report, the district is offering a one-time payment equal to 1% of teachers’ current base salary and a 2.1% ongoing pay increase effective July 1, 2025.
The district also offered to make some health care contribution increases and “to convene a committee to identify funding sources and priorities for reducing class size.”
“The District calculated that implementing the Fact-Finder’s recommendations, which it has already agreed to accept, would cost approximately $11.6 million over three years,” Assistant Superintendent Matt Campbell said in an email to families Sunday evening.
District fears insolvency if union demands met
Campbell said the union countered with an offer that would cost roughly $32 million over the same three years.
“Proposals at that level would require substantial additional reductions to student-facing programs, staffing, and services, and push the district into insolvency,” Campbell said.
DTA representatives didn’t immediately respond to request for comment Monday.
“The district has faced three consecutive years of multi-million-dollar budget reductions due to stagnant state funding, declining enrollment, and rising pension and healthcare costs,” according to a statement on the district’s website. “The union has maintained an initial proposal that would require ongoing expenditures the district cannot sustain without making even deeper cuts to staffing and student programs.”
“This strike authorization vote shows that our educators are united and serious about demanding that management invest in Dublin students.”
DTA President Brad Dobrzenski
The union alleges the district unnecessarily spends millions of dollars on outside consultants, “admitted to a $3.6 million budgeting error” and maintains high salaries for its executive team.
“For over 18 months, Dublin educators have been putting forward clear, responsible solutions that prioritize students and protect classrooms,” DTA President Brad Dobrzenski said in February. “District leadership has failed to implement these solutions. This strike authorization vote shows that our educators are united and serious about demanding that management invest in Dublin students.”
More information about the strike can be found at the district’s website and the union’s website.
