The Brea Olinda Teachers Association has announced it’s reached an impasse with the Brea Olinda Unified School District, triggering state mediation and the potential for a strike.

The district and the teachers association have failed to reach a compensation settlement that would “attract new educators with competitive salaries and benefits during the current 10,000-teacher shortage in California,” the California Teachers Association said in a statement released Thursday, Feb. 22. District officials said that failing to address an expected decrease in the cost of living before agreeing to the compensation proposals could lead to fiscal challenges for the district.

Jim Rogers, spokesperson for the California Teachers Association, of which the Brea Olinda association is a member, said district officials are proposing a salary rate that is less than half of what was expected; the two sides have met in seven separate negotiation sessions, he said.

The Brea Olinda Teachers Association, with the California School Employees Association, an umbrella union that represents all non-teaching school employees, are requesting a 4% increase in salaries from the district in light of the increase in the cost of living in the state, according to Rogers.

The proposal by the district is 44% of the teacher association’s proposal, he said. Additionally, the proposal by the district is a one-time payment pulling from the extra funds the district receives from the cost of living adjustment, Rogers said.

Since September, Brea-Olinda Unified teachers have been negotiating with district officials for a raise, citing neighboring districts, including Placentia-Yorba Linda Unified School District, that are increasing teacher salaries, Rogers said.

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Despite the recent developments at the negotiation table, Brea-Olinda Unified Superintendent Brinda Leon said the district “continues to value the collaborative relationships with our associations and are committed to ongoing conversations with our classified and certificated staff.”

The difficulty in reaching an agreement has largely stemmed from “differing perspectives,” Leon said.

“The state budget has created significant challenges for school districts that rely on public funds as their primary source of revenue,” Leon said.

The projected cost of living adjustment over the next few years will reduce extra funds to the district, Leon said, resulting in a loss of revenue to the district in excess of $4 million over two years.

Under California education code, school districts are mandated to certify a positive budget certification – showing they will meet their financial obligations – for three consecutive school years.

“Agreeing to the compensation proposals without addressing these fiscal challenges would jeopardize our ability to meet these requirements, risking a negative budget certification,” Leon said.

Daisy Bennett, a paraeducator with Brea Olinda Unified, was previously employed by Placentia-Yorba Linda Unified and highlighted the wage gap. At Brea Olinda Unified she is making $23.44 an hour, but she received $28 an hour at the neighboring district, she said.

“​​The district must find a fair way to increase wages,” said Bennett. “This is the best and most logical way to retain valuable employees.”

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Moving forward, the district and the teacher association will find a state-appointed mediator in hopes of coming to a compromise. If resolution efforts with the mediator fail, the mediator will escalate the deadlock to a fact-finding procedure and will submit a report to the state.

Should the mediations fail to facilitate a resolution, Brea Olinda Unified could present one final offer, where then, teachers could potentially strike.

The Brea Olinda Unified School District serves the city of Brea and portions of the nearby cities of Fullerton, Yorba Linda and La Habra. The district currently has an enrollment of over 5,800 students in grades kindergarten through 12th grade.