Dublin Teachers Association Announces Protest March for Tuesday’s School Board Meeting

DUBLIN, CA–The Dublin Teachers Association (DTA) announced a candlelight march to the Dublin Unified School District (DUSD) Tuesday night coinciding with the bi-weekly Board of Trustees meeting. California Teachers Association President Eric Heins plans to attend the march which will include several speakers. DTA claims hundreds of teachers will be participating in the protest.

Parents and students have also been invited to join the march which starts in front of the Center for Performing Arts and Education at Dublin High School, 8151 Village Parkway, at 4:30 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 5, and ends three blocks later at the Dublin Unified School District Boardroom,7471 Larkdale Ave., Dublin, 94568.

DTA declared an impasse earlier this fall after receiving the latest offer from DUSD in mid-October. Both sides will meet with a state mediator on Thursday, Dec. 7. In November DTA announced via social media that a practice strike vote had been held with wide support from teachers.

“Dublin’s community and its educators deserve ongoing salary restoration,” said DTA President Robbie Kreitz. “Students lose out when quality Dublin teachers leave for better pay and respect in neighboring districts. Competitive salaries mean the district can recruit and retain its quality teachers, and great educators mean a great future for our students.”

In response DUSD Superintendent Leslie Boozer provided the following statement: “The Dublin Unified School District welcomes the attendance of parents and teachers at our board meeting, and we commend those parents and community members who want to show their commitment to our teachers, our schools and our children. We may differ with union leaders when it comes to specific elements of a labor agreement or budget, but beneath any contract issue, our community shares a common purpose. We share a commitment to making our community’s schools the best they can be – and that’s true even if we debate the best way to prioritize the many needs our schools face.

“We agree that providing an excellent education for our students requires attracting the best new teachers to our community, and keeping the best veteran teachers here for long careers. And, we agree that doing this requires paying teachers well and staying competitive with pay in other districts. That’s why we have proposed adding more than $1 million to teacher pay, bringing the top teacher salary to $105,426 per year in DUSD.

“As we resume negotiations on Thursday, this time under the guidance of a state-appointed mediator, we are confident that a solution can be reached. If both sides are willing to commit to the negotiations process and focus our efforts there, we can reach an agreement that works for our teachers, our community, and our students.”