Pleasanton teachers picket outside schools amid ongoing contract talks

Public school teachers in Pleasanton picketed outside their school campuses Thursday to call attention to their ongoing contract negotiations with the school district.

Teachers at Pleasanton’s nine elementary schools, three middle schools, and three high schools picketed before the start of class and again after the school day. Members of the Association of Pleasanton Teachers (APT) were also expected to speak at a Pleasanton Unified School District (PUSD) board meeting Thursday evening.

Aside from salary demands, concerns raised by APT include benefits, cost of living adjustments, class sizes and caseloads.

PUSD has offered a 6.5% salary increase, while APT is seeking a 15% increase, according to the district website. Teachers maintain they are currently the lowest-paid in the Tri-Valley and that the district is losing quality teachers to other, higher-paying districts.

The current stalemate in contract negotiations, which have been previously described as contentious, widened following the union’s discovery of surplus funds the district received from the state in July 2022. APT asserts the funds should be used to provide students with additional resources and support, enable smaller class sizes and caseloads, and retain high-quality teachers.

The next bargaining session is scheduled for October 17, according to the PUSD website.

PUSD is currently in the process of moving its headquarters and offices to a new facility it purchased last year for $23.4 million. The district has indicated it would more than offset the purchase by selling most of its current property and it will also collect rent from a tenant at its new facility during a five-year lease.

APT and PUSD did not respond to a request by CBS News Bay Area for a statement about Thursday’s picketing activity outside the schools.