A California teachers’ union is preparing to strike after failing to reach a contract agreement with the district since November, according to EdSource.
The Fresno Teacher Association is asking the Fresno Unified School District to comply with a list of requests, including allowing homeless people to reside on school property and providing free yoga and meditation programs.
A contract proposal obtained by the Washington Free Beacon revealed that the teachers’ union wants the district to “provide free wellness programs to students and parents,” including yoga, meditation, and low-impact exercise. The union estimates the program would cost roughly $1 million.
It also suggests opening “high school parking lots to homeless families to park their car.” The union notes that the proposed idea would require paid security, which it approximates would cost $500,000.
Additionally, teachers are seeking smaller class sizes, apparently retroactive 7.6% raises for the 2022-2023 school year, and an 8.2% cost-of-living increase in the following three years, EdSource reported.
The district proposed an 11% pay raise over the next three years, which it stated would put the teachers’ average salary over six figures. Teachers in the Fresno Unified School District make an average of $90,650, according to district officials.
The union’s president, Manuel Bonilla, accused the district of “really showing they have a lack of vision and honor the status quo.” He accused the district of “defunding teachers” for the past decade and “unfairly” basing educators’ evaluations on students’ performances.
Fresno Unified Superintendent Bob Nelson explained that the district must ensure students thrive.
“If kids are not thriving in a setting, for whatever reason, we have an obligation to go figure out why — and unapologetically,” Nelson said.
Bonilla said he hopes the proposal to allow homeless individuals to sleep on school property will start a conversation.
“There are ideas on how we might do it because nobody else is thinking about these things,” he stated. “Instead of coming to the table and designing something with us, they’d rather scrutinize the idea and shut down the conversation. Our ideas are not the end all, be all; they are a starting point. And if they have a better idea, let’s do that. But they don’t even want to have a conversation.”
Nelson noted that he is skeptical of the union’s idea to allow the homeless to reside in the school parking lot because it is not the district’s “area of expertise.” However, he added that the district would be willing to work with experts to consider a solution.
“There’s no scenario — even the scenario by which they take the strike vote and actually strike — where you don’t have to sit down and have a productive discussion,” Nelson stated.
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