Poway School Board Approves Work Year Cuts, Higher Meal Prices

"And now the fight begins."

The Poway Unified school board on Monday unanimously agreed to cut 1,250 nonteaching employees' work year by eight days, despite the threat of legal action from the union.

"This is giving notice to our classified employees of a fiscal reality the board needs to meet," Superintendent John Collins said. The move is expected to save the district $982,000 next year and reduce worker salaries up to 3.7 percent.

Other employee groups have agreed to the cut for this year and next, but the Poway School Employees Association, which has not settled a new contract since forming last year, has not. District officials say the expired—but in-effect—PSEA contract allows them to make the change without negotiation. The union disagrees.

PSEA President Lynnette Turner said only the employment terms and conditions of the expired contract remain in effect. The waiver in the previous contract which allowed for the cuts without negotiation expired with the contract, said Turner and the union's attorney, Dennis Hayes of Hayes & Cunningham, LLP.

"The district seems to feel they have a loophole," Hayes said to the board. "This is not a way to build a foundation upon which you want to build a relationship with this new association."

The district made its initial contract offer to the union in November, which included the eight day cut, but the union has yet to submit a counter-proposal or accept the district's offer. Hayes said a proposal could come within seven to 10 days.

"It's now March, and during a year when students will have fewer instructional days, we have been paying PSEA employees to come to work or [be] on paid vacation when there were no students present," Board President Penny Ranftle said. "The board must take steps to correct this action."

Turner said the union has been busy getting organized and installing new leadership. Elections were held Dec. 31 and the new leaders, including Turner, were installed in early February. "I feel that we have been pretty quick moving," she said.

The other employee groups agreed to eight furlough days, which include five fewer instructional days for students. The furlough days are effective for the duration of the groups' contracts. The cut for classified employees, however, is a layoff that remains in effect until those hours are restored, said Bill Chiment, associate superintendent of personnel support services.

It's possible that the union will agree to an eight-day cut during negotiations, but district officials said they can't wait. Collins said the district's goal is to give employees as much advance notice of the change as possible.

Turner declined to comment on whether she thinks the union will eventually approve the cut, but said the group objects to the process the district has used to reduce the work year.

"I thought they kind of missed the point," Turner said of the board's swift move to approve the proposal after objections from the union that this isn't the way to go about it.

Hayes said the union would be OK with the board passing the cut, not as final, but as an expression of a desired outcome from negotiations. "If you do it as a done deal and never give the association a chance [to negotiate], then the organization is not being recognized as the exclusive representative [of the employees]," Hayes said.

The new union was .

After the work year reduction was approved, employees streamed outside, with one person calling out, "And now the fight begins." Hayes and Turner said legal action is possible, though Turner said she is hopeful that things will work out.

Meal Prices

The board also unanimously approved 17 to 33 percent increases to breakfast and lunch prices at all grade levels to keep up with rising food, supplies and other costs. Middle and high school lunches will increase the most—75 cents—to $3. About 28 percent of the district's 34,000 students participate in the meal program, with most of the students paying full price, said Babre Lewis, director of the food and nutrition program.

The cost of the program has risen 23-25 percent over the past six years while meal prices have remained stable, bringing the cost of the program to $8.1 million, Lewis said. Higher gas prices, more environmentally friendly products and higher building rent have increased program costs, he said.

Officials do expect about a 10 percent drop in the number of students participating in the meal program due to the higher cost, but Lewis said those numbers will eventually return. Each 5 cent increase historically reduces participation by 1 percent, he said. The higher meal prices are expected to bring in an additional $400-$450,000 next year, Lewis said.

Other Notes

• Several local photographers questioned the board about an exclusive contract with Visual Photography to take senior portraits at Westview High School. Competition would be better for students and for the district, said the photographers, some who have children at the school. Collins said the district will look into the issue.
• Westview High School NJROTC members and their families also came to ask the board not to cut the program. The program needs two instructors to run and it does not appear that the district will provide the funding. Collins said the financial situation will make it hard for some programs to remain. "Every program we have is at risk now," he said.
• Average Daily Attendance (ADA) is down to 96 percent from 96.7 percent earlier this year. Each percentage point increase in ADA would bring another $1.7 million to the district, said Malliga Tholandi, associate superintendent of business services. If each student came to school one more day, that would add another $1 million, she said.