AT THE START OF A NEW SCHOOL YEAR at Heritage High School in Brentwood, there is a buzz of excitement as students rush to start clubs. But this year, the energy has dimmed. Despite the 15 new club applications, many clubs are struggling to get off the ground as teachers and the district continue to negotiate over wages and working conditions.
Recently, teachers in the Liberty Union High School District began “work-to-rule,” meaning they only perform their duties within their contracted hours — 8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. The move, part of ongoing negotiations that began in September between the Liberty Education Association (LEA) and the district, has disrupted club formation across schools, including Heritage.
The issue? Teachers maintain that the workload involved in advising clubs is uncompensated.
“Every teacher is constantly bombarded with emails and requests to advise clubs,” said Maxwell Lim, a chemistry teacher at Heritage who advises five clubs, including Project Climate, Korean Culture Club, and GSA (Gender and Sexuality Alliance). “The hardest part is saying no because I just don’t have enough time. It takes a lot of commitment to maintain those.”
Lim acknowledged that work-to-rule has taken a noticeable toll on student activities. “Most of the clubs got put on hold,” Lim said. “Three out of my five clubs didn’t do anything this year. The only ones that continued were GSA and Korean Culture Club, because they’re considered cultural clubs and come with a small stipend.”
He added that, over time, the lack of compensation has taken a toll. “I love spending time with my students and seeing them grow, but it’s becoming financially irresponsible to keep putting in hundreds of unpaid hours,” Lim said. “We don’t want to seem like we only care about money. It’s about being treated fairly.”
Clubs forced to adjust
Students are also feeling the impact.
Esra Halloum, a 10th grader and member of the robotics team, explained that events and meetings have been postponed. “For the robotics team, they had to push back a lot of big meetings, especially during competition season. A lot of other clubs did the same, which basically ruined people’s schedules because classrooms weren’t available,” she added.
“A lot of clubs stopped holding meetings during lunch, and they had to pause for a couple of weeks,” she said. “Clubs are really something I look forward to throughout the school week, and since they weren’t meeting … it was kind of a letdown.”
Despite the disruptions, Halloum said the situation has increased student awareness of teachers’ efforts. “A lot of students were disappointed, but they were also asking questions and trying to understand what was happening. Teachers do so much work, and they need fair pay,” she said.
“A lot of students were disappointed, but they were also asking questions and trying to understand what was happening. Teachers do so much work, and they need fair pay.”
Esra Halloum, Heritage High robotics team member
Jessica Banchieri, Heritage’s club manager and a 17-year veteran staff member, noted that the working-to-rule policy has made it harder for teachers to balance their normal responsibilities with the extra time that club advising requires.
“The reality for students is that teachers have a duty-free lunch — always have. It’s part of our contract,” she said. “Teachers give up their lunch all the time to help students, advise clubs, or offer extra help, and that often goes unnoticed. I understand that students need support with their clubs, but that time teachers give is truly a gift of their free time. Education has basically been built on the back of unpaid overtime by teachers, so I’m proud of our staff for standing up for themselves.”
Contract talks become more contentious
The Vidhai Club is a chapter of the nonprofit Vidhai Foundation, where student Sadhana Arivoli serves as its president. The club aims to connect students to real-world opportunities in fields of medicine, technology, and community service initiatives.
“After work-to-rule, we couldn’t really hold any club meetings, discuss anything after school, or plan any school meetings. Not even setting up meetings with our advisor, especially since we’re a new club, or setting up our accounts, and to raise funds,” Arivoli said. The club eventually found math teacher Ricky Munoz to be their advisor.
The current contract between the Liberty Union Education Association and the Liberty Union High School District is a three-year agreement set to expire on June 30, 2027. However, the contract includes a yearly “salary-reopener” clause, allowing both sides to negotiate pay and benefits each spring. According to teachers, this year’s negotiations became more contentious after the district offered a smaller raise than expected while granting a larger increase to its upper administration, leading to the current work-to-rule negotiations.
ShraddhaGouri Pallerla is a 10th grader at Heritage High School in Brentwood and a CCYJ reporter. This story originally appeared in CCSpin.