Saugus Union School District and the Saugus Teachers Association are currently discussing universal dismissal times and the possibility of shortening the school day for transitional kindergarten and kindergarten, but no decision has been made.
According to Superintendent Colleen Hawkins, in the spring of the 2023-2024 school year, STA requested that the district enter into formal negotiations about a universal dismissal.
She said in the fall of the current school year, STA representatives further indicated that they desired to negotiate the length of the school day for all grades. Hawkins added the district asked parents and staff for their feedback on a universal dismissal and a majority said they would like a universal dismissal at that time.
According to Hawkins, after that time, teachers in the district requested that they not extend the day for TK and kindergarteners. Teachers were saying their students were struggling to behave appropriately during the school day.
“After gathering and exchanging research regarding the length of the instructional day, a formal proposal was developed and offered by the district on behalf of the governing board in regard to universal dismissal,” wrote Hawkins in a statement.
Hawkins wrote that the proposal included a change in instructional minutes for TK and kindergarten to 200 minutes daily, which affects teacher work hours, thereby making it negotiable.
The daily number of minutes outlined within the California Education Code that kindergartners need to be in school is 180 minutes, said Hawkins in a phone interview. If the agreement is reached, it is believed that this will be a positive thing academically for the students. District officials believe the students will not lose any learning, be able to focus better, and socialize better.
A Saugus district parent, who spoke Thursday on condition of anonymity, said that she and other parents have felt that the district has had a lack of transparency when discussing these negotiations. She said she felt that the district should include parents because it directly impacts their children.
“As a parent, when I received that initial notice, I have a second grader currently who would be going into third and then an incoming kindergartner. So for me, when I saw that survey, I thought this is great,” said the Saugus parent. “We have to do one pickup for both my kids, so I voted yes.”
The parent said that it was months later that they received notice that the results of the survey were reviewed, and that there was a proposal being discussed by the district and STA for universal dismissal to reduce TK and kindergarten to a half day and then have first grade through sixth grade dismissed at the same time.
Since the last notice, the Saugus parent says there has been no update from the district but if there were changes happening after the first survey, she said she felt that the parents should have been looped in that there was a change and asked to re-vote.
Teachers voting on agreement
Following six sessions of negotiations over many weeks, the parties reached an agreement as reflected in a memorandum of understanding, Hawkins wrote in an email Thursday. If ratified and approved, it would go into effect at the start of the upcoming 2025-26 school year.
Hawkins said that if STA does not ratify and approve the MOU soon, it may not affect the upcoming school year. It depends how quickly the union approves it or if they want to hold off for some time.
“The MOU is currently being voted on by the union. After ratification, it will go to the board for approval. Thereafter, the district will be able to commence planning and communications around anticipated changes resulting from the MOU,” wrote Hawkins.
She added that the district is informed that STA membership may vote on whether to approve the MOU through next Thursday and it expects to know whether it was ratified by the following day.
If the MOU is ratified, the district will immediately provide scheduling information, proposed child care supports, and more, wrote Hawkins. If the MOU is not ratified, the district will have to consider its options.
“We thank you for your understanding and patience at this time,” Hawkins wrote in a message to parents.
“I don’t want anybody to have the impression that we’re hiding this,” said Hawkins in a phone interview Thursday. “It is part of statutory negotiations, is what I keep saying. It has a process I have to follow. I would love to have a meeting or have a poll, but it doesn’t work that way when you’re in negotiations.”
A representative from Saugus Teachers Association could not be immediately reached for comment on Thursday.
UPDATE: STA President Linda Valdes sent the following statement via email on Friday morning: “I respect the democratic process within our union. We are in the midst of a vote; I have no comment at this time.”
