|
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...
|
Dozens of parents, students and community members stood side-by-side with teachers last week in an attempt to urge Dublin Unified School District leaders to hear their demands ahead of upcoming negotiations.
The Dublin Teachers Association hosted the rally on Nov. 14, several hours before the regular school board meeting was set to take place. Community members continued chanting outside of the boardroom with members inside during a closed session.
"I'm out here to support because I care about the kids. They deserve the best educators that we can give them," said Danelle Meyn, a third grade teacher at Frederiksen Elementary School. "When tortillas are costing $7, we need to match that rate set by the state. It's non-negotiable."
Meyn told Livermore Vine she has been working within DUSD for the past 23 years but cost of living increases and stagnant salaries have made it difficult for educators to maintain their own livelihood.
For the 2023-24 school year, the district received an 8.22% increase in state funding, a statutory cost-of-living adjustment, yet only offered a 2% increase in the DTA salary schedule, according to the union.
Educators say the 2% increase does not reflect the reality of the cost of living, and many of them work in a city they cannot afford to live in.
"We know that on paper it looks like we make a lot of money, but here in the Bay Area it's hard to make it here on a teacher's salary," Meyn said. "I love teaching these kids. I love seeing the differences that we make everyday and I don't want to stop doing that but there is a point where I have to provide for my children and myself and I can't do this if the district can't keep up with our basic needs."
DUSD administration, who said they were unable to respond to questions this week due to the Thanksgiving break, did confirm that their bargaining team's next negotiation session with DTA representatives is set for next Tuesday (Nov. 28).
At the rally last week, chants could be heard from a crowd of around 100 community members calling for respect, adequate pay and better benefits for teachers right outside of the district boardroom.
"We give everything we have for (the students)," Meyn continued. "I hope that our superintendent can hear our call; we're just asking for them to listen to us and give us what we deserve. That's all we're saying."
Members of the East Bay Coalition for Student Success and San Ramon Valley were also present. Melinda Daily, vice president of the SRVEA, attended the rally to show solidarity and support for her fellow educators.
"I wanted to be here because students matter, the education of all students matters," Daily said. "It doesn't matter if you're in San Ramon, Dublin, Pleasanton or wherever — we're talking about the education of kids. We want to stand in solidarity with our neighbors and really make sure everybody is doing what's best for kids. We need to be taking care of each other."
Daily emphasized the importance of collaborating regionally with other educators groups.
"We have our East Bay Coalition so we are partnering with education associations all across the east bay, all the way from Antioch to San Leandro. Working together has been transformative. It's so great to see what we can do when we partner," she added.
Dozens of local educators cited a failure in adequate compensation and a lack of respect from district management making it difficult to retain and fairly pay teachers.
"Teachers can't live in the area where they work and that is a concern," said Christine Davi, a second grade Frederiksen Elementary teacher. "The cost of living is up 8.2%; why is our salary not up 8.2%? Who would be teaching these students if we don't live here?"
In addition to struggling for financial security, many teachers end up paying for supplies or tools out of their own pockets, according to Davi.
"If it wasn't for my husband, I wouldn't be able to live in this area at all on a teacher's salary. This is California and one of the most expensive areas to live in," Davi said.
"We as teachers can't afford to live and work in this area despite having to engage with the community and families in this area day in and day out," she added. "Students need us, and if we are not there for them, who will be there for them? Parents don't always have the capability to do so, and we don't have the capability to do so, so who is there for them?"
Frederiksen third grade teacher Brad Dobrzenski said it can be taxing to witness your colleagues go through financial hardships.
"My mentor passed away from cancer. She was a teacher in our district, and they did not give her health care so she was struggling with that during her time here. I want to make sure that no one else has to go through that," he said.
"We need to make sure that teachers are able to give the best to their students because they are our future," Dobrzenski added. "We need to support livable salaries and health care for teachers because we are raising the next generation and we need to be able to be there for them."
