Negotiation Updates

Hello WPUSD: 

The following is an update from the negotiations session between WPTA and WPUSD that took place on 3/31/26:

1.  We discussed proposals on Article VII- Unit Member Hours.  We continue to work through interests on extra curricular/supervision duty, including crosswalk duty and the time between the end of the elementary student day and the end of the elementary teacher work day.

2.  We continued discussion on Article IX-Class Size in relation to the need to mainstream special education students within the elementary school setting.  WPUSD acknowledged the thoughtfulness of the WPTA previously presented MOU and also identified that more work is needed to determine class size language that will meet the district interest of ensuring we are meeting state threshold standards of mainstreaming and inclusion while having class sizes that are reasonable for teachers.  WPUSD expects to have a proposal at the next meeting.

3. We came to an agreement on new language for Article V- Privileges of Employee Organization, and this language will be within the Tentative Agreement.

4. WPUSD presented a proposal on new language for Article XXIII- Summer School that accounts for how summer school functions now compared to what it was when the existing language was crafted.  The new language focuses on length of school day and class sizes for summer school, along with some clarifications for hiring processes. 

5. The bulk of our session focused on Salaries and Benefits, Articles XIII and XIV respectively. Key elements of this area:

• WPTA asked WPUSD to share information on certain fluctuations within budget areas, especially the "Books and Supplies" budget line that has significant variations based on the time of year.  WPUSD explained that this is due to the carryovers from LCAP that have to be added into the budget at one point, and then removed later on, per budgeting guidelines.  
• WPTA presented a counter proposal that had a 2.3% raise for 2025/2026 retroactive to July 1, 2025, an additional .7% raise effective January 1, 2026, a 3% raise for the 2026/2027 school year effective January 1, 2027, and to leave benefits open for the 2026/2027 school year. Included in these discussions were references to recent agreements by Washington (West Sacramento) and Natomas school districts and their recent tentative agreements. 
• WPUSD responded with reasoning why a retroactive date for the 2025/2026 school year of July 1, 2025, is not something that can be agreed to.  That would put this year's budget at risk of not being a positive budget, and that is a step that the district cannot take.  Additionally, WPUSD shared that having benefits open next year is something we equally are not willing to engage in.  With the raises we have already tendered, we know that budget cuts are going to be necessary. Having a known target is critical to the district's ability to make fiscal decisions on cuts and expenditures.  
• WPUSD presented a counter proposal of  a 3% raise effective January 1, 2026, a 3% raise effective January 1, 2027, and the concession of the district funded disability income protection within the WPTA contract (eliminating this provision).
• After caucus, WPTA requested information on the Board priorities when it comes to compensation, and the reasoning behind concession-based raises.  The district responded with the Board priority of providing competitive compensation while maintaining overall fiscal solvency.   The Board's interest in concessions was presented as being in response to costly elements of the WPTA contract that are not  included in salary/compensation comparisons.  If costly contractual elements (where the district often ranks at or near the top with our comparable districts) such as overages, disability insurance, and elementary prep time are not included in how our District is compared with other districts, the Board and district have an interest in converting those costs to ways in which WPTA members will feel valued and compensated - namely, converting those contractual costs where we are offering more than other districts to compensation raises.  
• WPTA presented a counter proposal that has a 3% salary raise effective January 1, 2026, a 3% salary raise effective January 1, 2027, the concession of district paid disability income protection (eliminating this contractual provision), and a one-time increase of the district benefits cap of $1200 for unit members for the 2026/2027 school year, which would close salary and benefits for the 2025/2026 and 2026/2027 school years.  WPUSD did not counter this offer. 

We hope that these communications continue to provide transparency to our sessions, and that you find them informative. Our next session is scheduled for 4/16/26.

Hello WPUSD:

The following is a joint communication from CSEA Chapter 741 and Western Placer Unified School District in relation to their negotiations session on 3/17/26:

1.  We discussed various MOUs in connection with the WPUSD layoff resolution that took place at the 3/3/26 Board Meeting.  We are in agreement in principle on the impact of these layoffs, and are working towards signing an impact MOU, and on the process for notifying those impacted by the layoff resolution.

2. We have a mutual interest in removing several positions from the salary schedule that are no longer in use, and will seek an MOU to bring those changes about.

3. We provided an update on the CSESAP Summer Assistance program - we have 114 CSEA members who signed up for the program for the 2026/2027 school year. 

4. We came to a Tentative Agreement (TA) for salary.  Our TA is for a two year deal, and is subject to ratification by the union and approval of the Board before it goes into effect. It is a two year salary agreement, which would close salary negotiations for the 25/26 and 26/27 school years. The essentials of the agreement are:

• A 3% raise to the classified salary schedule effective 1/1/26
• A 2.5 raise to the classified salary schedule effective 1/1/27
• Contingency language that allows for "me too" impacts if any bargaining group receives a higher raise/compensation adjustment, exclusive of that higher compensation being the result of contractual concessions. 

We are pleased to have reached this agreement which is the result of professional and dedicated collaboration between CSEA and WPUSD.

Hello WPUSD:

The following is an update from the negotiations session between WPTA and WPUSD that took place on 3/11/17.

1. WPUSD shared a counter proposal on Article VII- Unit Member Hours.  We continue to trade language over extra curricular supervision duties, and what activities do and do not count towards the maximum hours of such duties that can be assigned within a year.

2. WPTA shared an MOU as a counter for Article IX - Class Size.  WPTA shared that, due to the novel nature of the language, it was preferred to propose this via an MOU which expires rather than putting it into contract. The conversation in this article is centered around when students who are mainstreamed for a portion of the school day count towards the class size.  The MOU shared by WPTA demonstrated considerable creativity and effort.

3. WPUSD accepted WPTA's proposal for new language for Article XXI - Agency Shop. The new language includes a new title (centered around new employee orientation) and is more appropriate in content due to the impact of the Janus decision.

4. WPUSD countered WPTA's proposal for new language in Article V - Organization Privileges. Most of the counter rationales were centered around certain elements of the proposal being dealt with elsewhere in the contract or were covered by law.

5. WPUSD shared interest in updating Article XXIII - Summer School. The Summer School article is antiquated, based on an older model of summer school that isn't really used at this time.  No proposal was provided, but there appears to be mutual interest in updating this article. WPUSD to provide a proposal next session.

6. Several topics of mutual interest were discussed, including PLCs, Home Visits, and the First Street School closure process.

7. WPTA shared their counter of the District's salary offer from our last session. That last district offer was a 3% raise effective 1/1/26 and a 3% raise effective 1/1/27, with the concession of a two year pause on overage payment.  The WPTA counter was a three step raise with 2.3% effective 7/1/25, .7% effective 1/1/26, and 3% effective 1/1/27  with no concessions, an increase to the current benefits cap of approximately $1,000, and establishing a "floating benefits cap" where the district cap would raise annually to meet the cost of Kaiser employee only HMO. WPTA shared that their members were not prepared to give up overages as part of a raise package.  The district responded that this proposal was not feasible financially. The district reiterated that the current offer they already had on the table would lead to a deficit of more than four million dollars which would require significant cuts to satisfy.  The district countered with an offer of 3% effective 1/1/26 and 2.5% effective 1/1/27 with no concessions, while leaving the 3%/3% with the two year pause of overages on the table as well.  The district emphasized that these offers represent the threshold of what can be offered.  WPTA did not respond to this offer and stated that they would provide a response at our next session on 3/31.

Both the management and classified confidential groups have accepted the 3%/2.5% offer, and it has been tendered to CSEA as well. 

We will continue to provide updates following all sessions to provide as much transparency and clarity as possible. Our next session is scheduled for 3/31/26.

Hello WPUSD:

The following is a joint communication from CSEA Chapter 741 and WPUSD in regards to negotiations between our parties that took place on Wednesday, 2/11/26:

1.  We discussed multiple new MOUs, and came to tentative agreement on the following, which will now go to CSEA for ratification and the WPUSD Board for approval:

• Raising the Account Tech II classification to Range 30
• Creating a new Education Services Clerk classification
• The reclassification of a vacant LVN/Para position to a Paraprofessional position
• The reclassification of a vacant FSA position to a Cook/Baker position
• The elimination of two vacant LVN/Para positions that had been backfilled by new LVN positions

2. We discussed an MOU that would add one day to the work calendar for Health Clerks. CSEA intends to inquire with the Health Clerks their thoughts on this proposal and bring information back to our next session.

3. We discussed implementation of the Paraprofessional Tier system.  We expect the March payroll to reflect the new pay structure.  Additionally, we discussed an MOU on how to handle the retroactive pay portion of this new structure. Because of the nature of this pay, the normal retroactive pay system is not feasible.  We signed an MOU to have a flat rate for paraprofessionals employed in Tier II and Tier II positions for the months of January and February. Tier II paraprofessionals will receive $97.00 for January and $76.00 for February, and Tier III paraprofessionals will receive $194.00 for January and $153.00 for February. Employees must have been in the Tier placement for the entire month to qualify for the retroactive check, per the MOU.  This MOU is pending 610, chapter ratification, and Board approval. If those approvals take place, we should be able to expect the checks to be issued in April.  Finally, we initiated discussion on how to handle paraprofessionals moving temporarily to different tiers.  We have not come to a conclusion on that topic, but it is an area of mutual interest in clarifying.

4. We briefly discussed the potential for layoffs for the upcoming year.  WPUSD will work with CSEA to make sure that our layoff process is procedurally sound and that employee's rights provided both by California law and the contract are honored.

5. Salary:  WPUSD presented a two year salary proposal that offered a 3% raise effective retroactively to 1/1/26, and a 2.5% raise effective 1/1/27.  CSEA responded that they would take this information back to their membership and provide a response at our next session, which is scheduled for 3/17/26.

Sincerely,

Chareen Lauritzen - Interim President, CSEA #741

Kim Howell, CSEA Labor Relations Representative

Michael Maul, Assistant Superintendent of Personnel, WPUSD

Hello WPUSD:

Below, please find the update from our  WPUSD/WPTA negotiations session on 2/4/26:

1. We agreed to a process to clearly communicate compensation for Dual Enrollment teachers on an annual basis.

2. We exchanged counter proposals on Hours and Class Size.  Topics of interest include when students count towards class size and overage pay, and extracurricular duties.  While we have come closer, there are still some significant points where we have yet to come to mutual agreement.

3. We tentatively agreed to language changes on the Safety article. Most of the changes clarify current processes and provide assurance of the district's commitment to provide a safe environment to the entire school community while ensuring appropriate response when safety hazards arise.

4. We tentatively agreed to minor language changes in the Reduced Work Year and Shared Contract articles to make timelines more appropriate for the current staffing cycle and to clarify what happens when a shared contract dissolves. 

5. WPTA shared proposals on the Agency Shop and Employee Organization Privileges articles.  The proposals aim to change language that is antiquated and/or obsolete and make them more appropriate for current law.  

6. Salary: WPUSD proposed a two year salary offer, with 3% retroactive to 1/1/26, and 3% effective on 1/1/27, with the concession that the district would pay no overages for students above the class cap for the 2026/2027 and 2027/2028 school years.  This would close salary negotiations for the 25/26 and 26/27 school years.

Our next negotiations session is scheduled for 3/11/26.