Board Ratifies Contracts

A march at Alvarado School during the strikes

The West Contra Costa Unified Board of Education voted Wednesday to ratify the tentative agreements reached last month with the teachers’ union and Teamsters after districtwide strikes by both unions.

The agreements call for an 8% raise over two years and 100% district-paid family health care by June 30, 2027. Unions argued the increases are necessary to retain qualified educators and stabilize school staffs.

Because of “me too” clauses, the increases will apply to all district employees. This includes the superintendent and other unrepresented management, a union spokesperson said.

The vote to ratify the teachers’ new contract was 5-2, with the district’s two student trustees voting yes along with Board President Guadalupe Enllana, Board Clerk Demetrio Gonzalez Hoy, and Trustee Cinthia Hernandez. The student trustees are Sasha Hahn and Brooke Miles.

The vote to ratify the Teamsters’ contract was 6-1, with Trustee Jamela Smith-Folds voting no on the teachers’ contract, but yes on the Teamsters’ agreement.

2025 Board President Leslie Reckler (left) trades seats with 2026 President Guadalupe Enllana on Dec. 17.

Trustee Leslie Reckler, who represents Area 5 including El Cerrito, voted no on both contracts.

“My vote is not a reflection of what staff deserves at all,” Reckler said. “Competitive compensation matters…I am deeply concerned that the school district does not have the resources to sustain this agreement.”

Reckler cited plans outlined by Superintendent Cheryl Cotton for a 10 percent cut in staff, spending a rainy day fund, and borrowing $13 million a year for three years from the fund used to pay retired teachers’ health benefits. She said the new contracts require cuts totaling $127 million through June 2028. These were among the plans described by Cotton at two community meetings last week.

Smith-Folds said the contracts will result in cuts that hurt students.

She said she spent well over a year calling for “collaboration where all sides sit at the table” but that did not happen.

“We did not approach this as one unified West Contra Costa school district…I’m not going to make promises that we cannot pay for,” Smith-Folds said.

Gonzalez Hoy said, “These agreements represent months of work and sacrifice. Our educators and classified staff are not the reason we are in this financial position. We cannot put students first without supporting our staff. We must now work together to rebuild trust.”

Mark Miller, executive director of the United Teachers of Richmond (UTR), said the district estimates do not take into account that Gov. Newsom recently proposed “an extraordinary education budget” that will provide “tens of millions more dollars next year” for the district, including more money for special education and community schools.

UTR Vice President Gabrielle Micheletti thanked the board for requesting an “equity report” on planned cuts. She asked the board to move forward with funding solutions like renewing Measure T, a school district parcel tax that will expire in 2027; and Prop. 55, a 2016 state proposition that funds K-12 schools. The California Teachers Association is campaigning in 2026 to make Prop. 55 funding permanent.

Micheletti asked the board not to make cuts that punish labor or undermine the goal of fully staffed stable schools.

Board President Enllana said, “I believe that holding our students at the center of our decisions means holding those who are with them day by day. This gives us an opportunity to think outside the box about how we are going to get ourselves to the next level and not keep kicking the can down the road. We are going to have to work hand-in-hand for our students.”