Fresno district allocates millions to prepare for teacher strike. How they’ll spend the money
As a teacher strike looms, Fresno’s school district has 2,300 substitute teachers ready to cover classes.
A final strike authorization vote count is still days away, but the district said it’s ready to act if the about-4,000 unionized teachers walk off the job.
Fresno Unified School District says it has 2,100 confirmed substitute teachers – and another 150 to 200 going through background checks – lined up to cover classroom instruction duties. The district has said it’ll pay substitutes $500 per day. All substitutes are qualified, certificated, background-checked and finger-printed, district officials said.
Typical substitute daily pay in Fresno Unified is around $200, a rate that shot up during the pandemic as the district experienced staffing shortages.
Members of the Fresno Teacher Association started voting on Wednesday whether to authorize a strike, and union officials said they’ll start tallying the vote on Monday.
It’s not immediately clear how much a strike would cost, but the district is starting to dedicate funds in preparation.
Union leaders and the district both claim they’d like to come back to the bargaining table, but no meeting had been scheduled as of Thursday.
On Wednesday night, the Fresno Unified board of trustees voted to allocate more than $3 million to prepare for a work stoppage. This funding covers expenses such as health services, school supplies and contracted security.
The last time the FTA went on strike was in 1978, and it lasted two weeks.
If a strike does happen, and goes on for that long, substitute teacher costs would add up to approximately $14 million. District spokesperson Nikki Henry said in an interview with The Bee on Thursday morning that the district plans to use funds allocated for teacher salaries to pay substitutes, because teachers would not be paid for the days they’re on strike.
Henry said it’s now up to the union to respond to the district’s proposal. Union leaders told The Bee on Thursday they’ve already shared ideas with the district on what in the proposal they’d agree to. Union leaders said Wednesday major sticking points include: class size reduction, special education caseload reduction, and a salary schedule that keeps up with inflation and health care costs.
FTA president Manuel Bonilla said Thursday afternoon that it’s “disappointing” that the district would rather spend money on substitutes than “come to the table and fix systems issues that we need to fix.”
Who will the district hire as substitute teachers?
Henry said the district is working with a mix of new substitutes, as well as people with experience working with the district.
“One of the silver linings in this situation is that, from the pandemic, we did have a much higher need for substitutes when COVID-19 was at its highest,” Henry said.
Henry said to expect a “higher ratio” of class sizes, meaning more students per teacher, if the union goes on strike.
“Those with (teaching) credentials will move back into the classroom,” Henry said. “Those without credentials who work across the district will be at school sites to help with supervision, lunch times, office work, drop-offs and pick-ups.”
Still, Bonilla said that the public should be asking “who are these folks?” and said the district is likely using people from “outside of our community.”
The superintendent can also use volunteers at any school facility under the direction of a credentialed employee, according to an emergency resolution adopted by the board of trustees on Sept. 13.
As to whether any FTA members would cross the picket line – Bonilla said it’s too soon to say. But based on Wednesday’s turnout, he said the union feels that they have a majority of teachers who will be on the picket line.
“Our hope is that nobody crosses the picket line,” he said. “When the time comes, we will see.”
Some teachers expressed feeling a tug-of-war of emotions at Wednesday’s rally, particularly around the financial implications of a strike.
Bonilla said that FTA members who are also members of the Educational Employees Credit Union will have access to different forms of financial assistance such as a zero percent interest loans.
How will the $3 million be spent?
Fresno Unified’s board approved Budget Revision No. 2 on Wednesday night, allocating more than $3 million to prepare for a work stoppage. These millions are split into four different categories: $2 million for curriculum, $410,000 for substitute hiring and orientation services, $451 for health services and $176,000 for security, totaling $3,037,000.
The funds, which would likely come from the General Fund or ESSER funds (one-time dollars to help recover from the COVID-19 pandemic), are being used for substitute hiring and orientation services are not the substitutes’ daily wages, Henry said, but the costs for their recruitment and processing into the district.
She said the district has contracted additional security and health services to make sure students and families feel comfortable and safe.
Because Fresno school nurses are part of the FTA, they could strike too. With the funds allocated for health services, Henry said the district has contracted more personnel for student healthcare services as needed.
This story was originally published October 19, 2023 at 6:05 PM with the headline "Fresno district allocates millions to prepare for teacher strike. How they’ll spend the money."
