A publication of the Association of California School Administrators

Back from the brink

District reflects on lessons learned after narrowly avoiding a strike

By Hilda Maldonado and John Becchio | January | February 2025

Having put behind us an almost 15-month collective bargaining struggle with our local teacher’s union, we have had the opportunity now to reflect on the process and experiences that led us to the brink of a teacher strike. We were narrowly saved from that fate of a strike at the last hour (and by last hour, we mean a 2:30 in the morning last-ditch settlement agreement after an 18-hour fact-finding session). Our reflections are housed here in this article as an offering of advice to those in similar situations. These were the themes that we lived by as we entered into negotiations, as we sustained the struggle for more than a year, and finally, as we settled in time to have a normal start to the school year.

This was a textbook collective bargaining showdown, with the general CTA playbook being rolled out in full force as seen in districts across the state. There really isn’t much to learn from the approach that we saw from CTA. Same lessons, different venues. However, what we feel is useful to share are the reflections about what we could control and our approach, which ultimately led to a settlement agreement that was both good for our employees and fiscally responsible.

Use values-based approaches to guide decisions The district’s bargaining team began negotiations with a desire to use an interest-based bargaining approach. We shared our desire to work with the union leaders in this manner prior to the start of negotiations. This offer was rejected at the onset. However, our bargaining team, along with the negotiations lawyer, Greg Dannis, developed the following set of values to guide our course of actions, positions and decisions. This values-based approach came from meeting with Greg, and reading an article he wrote on “How to Negotiate Using Core Values.” Our proposals at the bargaining table were always guided by our values-based approach. Additionally, our communications to staff, parents and the community consistently mentioned these principles. In the face of the rhetoric and personal attacks, our values became our North Star. The values were not about us as individuals, but rather about the district as a whole.

Find the real voice in the noise It is a tough time for many in our community who are struggling with the rising cost of living in an already incredibly difficult area to live. Santa Barbara is one of the most expensive cities in the country, and in our district, the salaries and employer contribution to health benefits were low compared to others. We had given salary increases historically at the 2 percent or 3 percent range, but those raises didn’t keep up with the cost to live in Santa Barbara. There was a cause for noise, and we would argue that their requests were the result of years of living in a community with rapidly increasing costs and district investments unable to keep up with those costs.

What was our response? We listened. Regardless of how the comments were made, we always listened and mined for the interests that were being expressed. Then we went back to the budget to get as close as we could to meeting the interest. We started this before negotiations even formally began; their public comments were delivered every two weeks at board meetings. Our negotiations team listened and took notes of the circumstances being shared and the needs articulated. The lesson here is to not let critical messages or criticism distract you from being in tune with the real needs being expressed underneath the emotion. This input and information shaped our positions and proposals. Our bargaining team knew from listening intently that we had to do something good, big and never done before. And so our initial proposals and positions started with an intention to show we were not interested in incremental bargaining — we came in strong. This approach came in handy when we reached fact finding. We had upwards of $30 million on the table in our proposals alone, not including what we would also have to give to our other bargaining unit.

Make proposals that will stand up in fact finding We studied the budget, stretched the numbers and looked for every penny available to make the best offers possible on these priority items. At the table, the bargaining team communicated we were coming in with large offers in these priority areas, and we showed the cost and how the offers impacted the bottom line of the multi-year projections. Not surprisingly, they didn’t believe us. Nonetheless, we knew our numbers were right. There was so much money on the table, we believed we would have a fighting chance if fact finding became an eventuality. And it did.

Don’t let pressure tactics push you into places you can’t go From the initial bargaining session, our team agreed something substantial had to be done. When we gave our initial salary proposal counteroffer, it was a financial stretch for us. While this put us in a precarious position with respect to our budget, it was where we wanted to go and a place we felt we could go.

However, the governance team, including board members, had to withstand the immense pressure over a long period of time that was placed on us to move our position to meet the demands of the union. This is maybe one of the most difficult parts of the process in that it is so tempting to move into a place that you really can’t afford to go in order to bring the conflict to an end and make the pressure stop. But, since we made our proposals as if we were going to end up in fact finding, we really had to stay confident in, and near to, those positions. As a team you have to support each other and carry each other when one of you is having second thoughts. If you don’t have a solid team, including board members, then it is next to impossible to withstand the pressure tactics over the long term.

Seek out and share information beyond the board room During a contentious negotiation season, the board room becomes the center of attention. It is a venue where voices are heard and stories are told by both the district and union. As the months drag on, it is easy to begin to believe that the voices in the boardroom represent all voices across the organization. While those messages are important, there are so many other opinions and issues that aren’t necessarily represented in a public meeting session once or twice a month. There are often other bargaining units and many other employees who need to be heard as well. It is critical that there are other channels of communication open so all opinions can be part of forming a solution to the contract negotiation struggles. That includes listening tours, letters to the board, developing strong relationships with union leaders that were lacking, informal appearances on campus and more.

However, it was a perfect storm of factors that created a perception of a system in crisis. To counterbalance this, we created a steady stream of information to our families, community and staff called “Did You Know?” They were short, factual bits of information about public school funding, budgeting, process for notification of layoffs, etc. Detailed negotiations updates were delivered at the end of each bargaining session. They were also sent to community partners, families and elected officials as a way to keep all informed.

Additionally, we produced easy-to-understand infographics of the district’s finances and how budgets are created.

This helped to reduce the tensions and increase public knowledge. It did not stop the union from calling the information “propaganda.” However, it was our focus on sticking to facts that eventually gave us the results we all needed.

Strong governance and transparency For every unexpected challenge we faced, we leaned heavily on our values, information tools and resources to overcome them. For example, in the middle of negotiations, one of the board members resigned. The governance team had built a strong relationship with one another before the change and understood the balance they were working to achieve. However, they worked together to create a space to listen to the new board member’s ideas while remaining steadfast in the pursuit of a fair deal and a viable fiscal position. Their commitment to the process was undeniable.

During the most tense moments of negotiations, we also had to consider expiring COVID-19 relief funds and how that would impact layoffs at the district. While this proved to be a difficult space personally and professionally to manage, we used values, information tools and relationships to make decisions to protect learning in our classrooms.

When the deal is done We are proud of the work accomplished by the governance team and the negotiations team. Our labor negotiations attorney was also one of the best investments and decisions we made as we anticipated a tough negotiation. In the end, we now have a three-year contract with improved health benefits, salary schedule and working conditions coupled with a commitment to share any increases we get in property taxes. This is the strongest sign that despite a narrative of chaos and dysfunction, we love our teachers and our staff and are committed to working together with everyone so that our students thrive.

As a district, we can’t stop where we are now. We know a salary raise won’t solve the cost of living or housing crisis. Our attention now is on developing employee housing projects on district-owned property.

While the work of negotiations may be over, the path ahead still has much work for both sides. There has to be a commitment to repairing trust, healing relationships and recentering our focus on the programs that serve families and students. By aligning our work, we can meet our goal to attract, retain and train our teachers and staff, and we can create a positive environment for all students to thrive.

Hilda Maldonado, Ed.D., is superintendent of Santa Barbara Unified School District. John Becchio, Ed.D., is assistant superintendent of human resources and chief negotiator for Santa Barbara Unified School District.