Pasadena Unified Issues Statement Regarding Impasse in Negotiations with United Teachers of Pasadena

The following is a statement by Superintendent Brian McDonald and the Governing Board of the Pasadena Unified School District (PUSD) regarding the declaration of impasse in contract negotiations with the United Teachers of Pasadena (UTP) on October 23, 2015:

“PUSD values the dedication of our teachers in serving students. It is our goal to ensure that our teachers are fairly compensated; however, the District cannot afford the proposal offered by the United Teachers of Pasadena (UTP) at the October 9, 2015, bargaining session. With regard to salary negotiations, UTP representatives stated, “We don’t see the gap narrowing.” The District concurs with UTP that we are in a “deadlock.” The proposal put forward by UTP would slide the District into financial insolvency.

The District is committed to working to improve our fiscal situation by being more efficient in our overall operations and locating cost savings where possible. Our goal is to improve compensation for our teachers while also providing more resources at the school site level for our students.

UTP and the District have not been able to make progress in negotiations, even after holding a nearly 12-hour marathon bargaining session in late May. Given the number of bargaining sessions since March 2015, the District is declaring impasse and will seek a third party mediator to assist us in making progress toward an agreement. The District is in the process of filing formal impasse declaration papers with the California State Public Employee Relations Board.

The District remains committed to continuing negotiations with UTP using a third party mediator in a transparent and honest manner. The education of our students is our top priority and we must do this in partnership with our excellent teachers.”

Information about the PUSD negotiations is posted online at www.pusd.us/pages/PasadenaUSD/AboutUs/Negotiations.

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