CUSD Employees Ratify Impasse Settlement Agreement !

     * The District’s refusal to place the 4% in bonuses on either the CERTIFICATED or CLASSIFIED salary schedule, while they showed no remorse or concern about providing ALL District administrators 2 on schedule salary increases that totaled between 7-10%.

    * The District’s refusal to include longevity pay in the bonus checks was disrespectful.  We agree that CLASSIFIED & CERTIFICATED employees’ longevity should be valued and applauded; versus discounted when the rubber hits the roads.

     * The District’s refusal to include ANY of the 50+ safety improvements proposed by employees is reckless.  It demonstrates the Board’s failure to understand how safety impacts the teaching and learning mission, and highlights District officials’ penchant to prioritize optics over the well-being of students, employees, and their families.

     * The District’s unwillingness to not just move all Instructional Aides to Step 13, but to also rebuild new columns and increases for those who have already provided 13 or more years of loyal service to the students and families.  CUSD’s position is not just inequitable, it is insulting.

     * The District’s efforts to cap contingency-formula increases, while simultaneously rejecting (for over two years) the idea that contingency-formulas were even relevant.  Clearly, CUSD expects to bring in much higher revenues than the Property-Tax Revenues they intentionally under-projected.

     * The 2 years period that resulted from the District’s delays and obstructions, prevented many employees who dutifully served District students and families (in 23-24 and in 24-25) from receiving any additional compensation.

Although employee leadership permitted non-union members to cast ballots, those ballots did not count towards the final vote tally. (i.e. However, we remain interested in the perspective of non-members.)   Interestingly, all non-members who cast ballots, voted to support the agreement.  Which to some degree, may baffle the mind ?  But it shouldn’t, because the “YES” votes of non-members confirm that even they support the hard work of Union leadership; at least when it serves them directly.

In full candor, CAUSE leadership understands the disgust and confusion shared by many employee Union members, who work beside non-members across the District.   We understand why so many openly question the ethical position taken by non-members who reap the benefits of our hard work and financial investments, while they simultaneously refuse to contribute any earnings towards our work to increase employee compensation, benefits, and improve workplace conditions that exist.

We hope our ability to turn the union-dues invested by CAUSE members, into significantly higher returns, demonstrates just some of the value of Union membership.   Rather than isolate non-members further, CAUSE leadership is committed to demonstrating the broad value of collective action and bargaining.

We also believe that over time, most of the non-members among us, come to realize their responsibility in this process.  We remain proud that eventually, most are motivated to do their part to consider not only their interests, but to support the collective interests of the professionals, colleagues, students, and families we serve.

We ask employees and community members to please understand that Union leadership did the best we could with the bargaining partner we have.  We encourage all who are impacted by these matters to consider how you will increase your participation in the coming year.

As we prepare to submit our openers (in the Spring 2026) for the 2026-27 bargaining cycle, employees will have an opportunity to clarify the improvements they value.   2026-27 will be a fully open-contract cycle.  It represents a new opportunity to re-evaluate and secure improvements in all areas of the CLASSIFIED & CERTIFICATED contracts.

Full ahead !

     ~ j. Hotchner