This agreement will be voted on by the teachers’ union from May 13 to 17 and the result will be announced on May 17. It has also been added to the agenda for the upcoming school board meeting on May 21 to be discussed by the district officials and school board members, where the entire contract is slated to be ratified.

Every year, PAUSD negotiates new terms with PAEA, which represents the certified staff such as teachers, and California School Employees Association Chapter 301, which represents the classified staff such as aides and custodians. Usually in this district, negotiations end in an agreement after early discussions. However, this year, the district and union could not come to a compromise after initial negotiations, setting the precedent for the first impasse between PAUSD and PAEA.

A closer look at the numbers

The original proposal by PAEA included an 8% increase from the 2022-23 teacher’s salary which was responded with 2% counteroffer from PAUSD. PAEA’s best and final offer was 5.5% which is 2% higher than PAUSD’s final offer of 3.5%. The tentative agreement reached on May 6 proposes a 4% increase for this year.

According to PAEA’s website, PAUSD has significantly lower salary growth and maximum salaries than neighboring districts. Going into this year’s negotiations, PAUSD’s salary growth from 2021 to 2024 was 10.2%, compared to the 15.8% increase in the Mountain View and Los Altos district, the 15.8% increase in the Los Gatos and Saratoga districts, and the 19.0% increase in the Santa Clara School District. If the tentative agreement is approved, PAUSD’s salary increase would become 15.2% for this year.

PAUSD’s current maximum salary is $154,366, which is 24.8% lower than Mountain View-Los Altos School District, 9.8% lower than Fremont Union High School District and 7.1% lower than Santa Clara Unified School District. PAEA President Teri Baldwin stressed that this gap plays a significant role in communicating the value of teachers.

“We always want our community to know that we are trying to recruit and retain the best teachers for our students, and we’re falling behind in salary in the area,” Baldwin said. “If we’re the number one district, we should be the number one or at least close to the number one in salary in the area.”

Beginnings of negotiations

In the context of these district negotiations, the impasse was prompted by a disagreement from PAUSD and PAEA’s final offers regarding the teacher’s contract for the 2024-25 school year. As a result, a third-party mediator stepped in to aid both sides to come to an agreement. The mediator assigned to this case was from the California Public Employment Relations Board. According to Superintendent Don Austin and Baldwin, both negotiation teams are separated and the mediator worked with both parties to reach an agreement.

The negotiations cover a variety of topics including class size, working conditions, evaluations, and salary — the subject cultivating the most discourse. The negotiations, which happen every year between PAUSD and PAEA, are not open the public. This year, the union and district called for an impasse, prolonging the negotiations for another six months.A the school board meeting on April 23, PAEA members expressed dissatisfaction during the open forum about the PAUSD salary schedule, and their experiences in the district. CSEA 301 Chapter President Mrigendra Steiner announced CSEA’s alliance with PAEA in hopes for a quick resolution of the negotiations that honors the professionality of the teachers. Retiring Gunn math teacher Kathy Hawes spoke about her 32 years at Gunn and the salary gap between MVLA and PAUSD.

“I’m concerned that people aren’t going to stay (in PAUSD) because (I talked to) my good friend who left for MVLA, and if I was there now I’d be making 37 thousand more a year,” she said in the meeting. “I love my department, I love my collaboration, I love the people I work with, but at some point I have to think about what would that $37,000 do for my retirement? What would that do for my cost of living? Can I afford to keep working in Palo Alto? And if we lose our experienced staff, how are we going to keep our traditions, culture and history?”

Teacher librarian Daljeet Gill also compared his current position to a higher salary at MVLA, but decided to stay at Gunn because of his long term affection for the school. In his opinion, the negotiations are not just about money but about convincing teachers to stay.

“If all we cared about was money, none of us would be in education,” he said. “The people that I see on campus, this staff, is incredible. They do so much for students that go above and beyond. But the more the pay gap increases, (the more that) you don’t necessarily feel like you’re able to do these things (for the students and) support yourself and your family as easily. Maybe there’s a little bit of not feeling as valued, and that maybe you’re more valued somewhere else.”

PAUSD Budget Reserves

A popular solution suggested by the teachers union is to pull from the district’s large reserves to fund a salary increase since PAUSD does not have an upper limit on the reserves, and its size has increased 187% since 2021, currently containing $135 million. According to the district website, PAUSD’s $135 million reserve is 34% of its operating budget, which is two times more than the 17% recommended by experts. PAEA members made the argument that a fraction of these funds can be allocated towards teachers’ salaries. However, according to Austin, drawing money from the reserve is not as simple or advisable as it may seem.

Austin likens the reserve to a savings account, asserting that regularly drawing from it for an ongoing expense is unsustainable because it won’t replenish itself if the district spends at a deficit from relying on the reserve. PAUSD Chief Business Officer Carolyn Chow provided an example for this analogy, explaining that the reserve is used for one-time costs and budgeted purchases.

“In your savings account, you might have to (pay for) a new washer and dryer, tuition for college and a vacation, right?” she said. “Once you spend it, it’s gone, you have to resave again. So in our case, we have a whole list of things that are in the reserves. So for example, we have textbook adoptions that don’t come up every year but we have to set aside money for so in our budget, maybe every five or 10 years we try to save up for it.”

PAEA negotiations team member and Gunn economics teacher Jeff Patrick agrees that it is unwise to use the reserve funds for an indefinite amount of time, but he thinks that the analogy of a savings account isn’t accurate to this situation.

“I think it’s a sort of disingenuous analogy given that the district’s not saving that money for retirement or college expenses, whatever it is that families typically save money for,” he said. “So we further don’t understand, and I would say have not been adequately given an explanation of why the district continues to expand that reserve over time.”

Patrick thinks that regardless of how the reserve is spent, the important next step is to address how much money is being added to it.

“In my personal view, and this is reflected by a lot of people that I’ve talked to about it, (it’s like), ‘Fine, you’ve got the reserve and it is what it is, let’s (just) stop making it bigger,’” he said. “So (going forward) making sure that any surplus money that the district has gets put into compensation or something that’s going to directly affect students rather than to sit in the reserves.”

Public Reception

Throughout the negotiation process, PAEA has aimed to raise visibility by organizing rallies and encouraging teachers to wear their PAEA shirts on Fridays and during events to show their support for the union.

One such example is on the morning of April 30, when teachers at all PAUSD schools assembled by school entrances and held signs such as “honk for teachers” or “supporting PAEA = supporting students.” Baldwin thought this rally was a great success and received a lot of community support.

“I think it’s been great,” she said. “Students have been out here and I’ve seen them out at different sites as well. And parents seemed very receptive. And even if we aren’t asking, they’re honking and showing their support.” PAEA and PAUSD have both been committed to keeping the public informed about this process. All negotiations prior to the impasse, which must legally remain confidential, and the current proposal of the tentative agreement are published on both websites. Each website has summaries of the proposals to make it more digestible for the public, however, due to the complexity of the negotiations Austin emphasized the importance of keeping the discussion contained so that its nuances are not miscommunicated.

“(Students) can have opinions, but really, this is between two negotiating teams that have a total of 10 people (and) that’s where it should stay because it’s impossible to explain every nuance,” he said. “I have concerns about involving students in this negotiation because if the question is ‘do you love your teacher,’ I’m going to hope the answer is always yes. I love our teachers. Everyone should love our teachers.”

School Board President Jesse Ladomirak echoed Austin’s sentiment.

“If your teacher is telling you something, our hope is that you trust your teacher,” she said. “If your teacher is telling you something, we don’t have a lot of interest in trying to get you to think the other way.”

These negotiations have been the subject of many campus conversations and for good reason: PAUSD, which has never been at an impasse for teacher contracts, may be the outlier in district negotiations. According to Chow, the district and union requests were farther apart than normal this year, but mediation is a normal and helpful part of many similar negotiations.

“I’ve been in other districts where they’re at an impasse all the time, every day of the year they’re in there at impasse,” she said. “It’s just what happens when you’re negotiating and you get stuck and need a mediator and come in and help parties (with) out of the box thinking.”

Although this impasse is a rare and complex topic, both the union members and district officials are committed to maintaining professionalism and respect in the midst of this negotiation.

“If (people) take anything away (from this), it’s not a fight, it’s a negotiation process which happens every year,” Austin said. “This year, we’re bringing in somebody to help us work through the tension. And it’s all going to be fine.”

A correction regarding the percentage of the reserves has been updated from the print edition.

Hawes takes much joy in this freedom because of her love of fashion. “I find getting dressed to be joyful,” she said. “It just gives me pleasure.”

Hawes used to view fashion as complicated. After meeting with stylist Stacy London by coincidence, however, Hawes found dressing fashionably much more accessible. “[The consultant] opened my eyes and made me realize I have more options than I thought,” Hawes said. “I always thought, ‘Oh, I can’t wear that,’ but I actually can.”

Occasionally, Hawes tends to base her outfit on her surroundings. “Sometimes, I just base it around the weather,” she said. “During the summer I typically wear a lot of dresses, but in the winter, it makes me sad because I can’t wear them.”

Though Hawes has many methods for choosing her everyday outfit, one of her favorites is to challenge herself and style a piece she doesn’t normally wear. “A lot of times, I look at my closet and say, ‘I haven’t worn this in a long time,’ she said. “Then, I try to put an outfit together around it.”

Many students share Lakhani’s feelings of disconnection in the online setting, including junior Joseph Abadi, who moved to Gunn from Panama fewer than two months ago to escape his online learning environment. “At home, I had my cellular and my family distracting me,” Abadi said. “It’s much different being in school, in class, with a professor in front of me.” For Abadi, the promise of in-person learning at Gunn motivated him to leave his high school in Panama, which still held classes remotely, and move to Palo Alto, where his older sister lives. Despite the complications of adjusting to a new town, language and environment, Abadi felt that the difference between an engaging in-person education and the Zoom meetings offered at his former high school was reason enough to move.

Lakhani and Abadi’s situations reflect a recent phenomenon: online learning has created a lack of engagement and has isolated both students and teachers, especially those who rely on social interactions to succeed.

Disadvantaged Students

Upon first glance, it may appear that privilege exists across all communities at Gunn. Most students do “very well,” according to Assistant Principal Pier Angeli La Place; they have the support and resources they need to succeed in Gunn’s environment. “It’s easy to adopt a narrative of ‘that’s good enough,’” La Place said. “But 15% to 20% [of students] don’t survive under our system, because the system wasn’t designed to work for them.” This minority of students faces more obstacles to success—whether it be an English language barrier or lack of familial support with academics. Online learning, which relies on stable internet access and a quiet learning environment for success, has only perpetuated the pre-existing learning gap between students with resources and those without.

For students who have technological issues or disruptive home environments, the pandemic has made it even harder to learn productively, if they can attend class at all. In English teacher Danielle Whichard’s Advancement via Individual Determination (AVID) classes, a good portion of her students have issues with connectivity and access to technology on any given day. In addition, many students have familial obligations that they must attend to, which distract from class. “I have a lot of students who are the primary caretakers for younger siblings especially earlier on in the pandemic before childcare became more open or accessible to families,” Whichard said. “They had to balance either overseeing their siblings in their classes, or, if their siblings were younger than [school age], helping actually watch the little kids while trying to do their own schooling.”

At Ravenswood Middle School in East Palo Alto, eighth grade math teacher Harriette Huang has noticed similar distractions for her students, many of whom live in crowded households. “Their families usually have multiple kids, and if their parents have to go to work, my students become babysitters,” Huang said. “Their siblings are running around in the house.” As a result of their crowded living situations, Huang’s students often turn off their cameras, creating a less engaging classroom environment. Other difficulties for Huang include the language barrier with her primarily Spanish-speaking students and other familial responsibilities.

District Response

La Place, who has worked in the district for over 30 years, acknowledges that our educational system is oftentimes too rigid for adaptations. However, the pandemic has forced the district to change learning requirements to better meet the needs of all students and families. “The silver lining in the pandemic is that nobody has been able to ignore the inequities of our system,” La Place said.

To combat the prevalent issue of lack of engagement, the district has reopened in-person school, which is now available for all students four days a week. Although a low percentage of students have returned to campus full-time, the district has been able to support students like Abadi, who has a home environment that makes it difficult to focus, and students who need social engagement. Together, La Place refers to this group of individuals as the “school-reliant” population.

To avoid students becoming trapped in a metaphorical “hole”—the hole of missing assignments, sinking grades and the overwhelming feeling of falling behind—administrators also monitor attendance. If they notice patterns of absence, administrators reach out to teachers, who then reach out to students to provide support. “The teachers’ role is to create a ladder so students can climb out [of the hole],” La Place said. “The first rung is communication: asking what teachers can do to support students.” Then, a group of administrators, counselors and parents meet with students to discuss future accommodations, which often include letting go of nonessential assignments or providing extended time on tests.

Increased Teacher Support

Throughout the pandemic, teachers have had to intervene with students on numerous occasions, even more than in non-COVID years. After realizing the difficulty of online learning, math teacher Kathy Hawes always assumes the best intentions. “I ask [my students], ‘Are you okay, how can I help you?’” Hawes said. “I don’t say in an angry voice, ‘Why didn’t you take the quiz? You’re in deep trouble. I’m mad at you.’” With recommendation from the administration, Hawes offers what she calls “special deals” to help students who are struggling in her classes. These “special deals” typically consist of a reduced number of assignments to alleviate the stress of passing the class. “I look at the core work that needs to be done to show me that students understand [the material],” Hawes said. Otherwise, Hawes, like every other teacher, runs the risk of no longer being able to help her students who become stuck in the metaphorical “hole.”

Whichard also meets with students individually every class period to assess their performance and provide support. She emphasizes flexibility and taking the time to learn about students’ situations and why they may or may not be able to engage with the class to their fullest potential. In cases where students live with immunocompromised family members or are unable to obtain resources such as school supplies on their own, Whichard has dropped off resources at students’ houses, resulting in longer workdays.

Huang has also noticed a steep increase in hours helping students; on any given day, she can spend up to three hours in office hours tutoring students. “When we were in person, kids could help each other,” Huang said. “They could peer tutor and chat about homework, and that really, really helped many kids.” In an online learning environment, however, students—especially those who do not turn on their camera for personal reasons—have difficulty connecting with one another, leaving the teacher responsible to help every student individually.

Looking Forward

Overall, the district and teachers have taken steps to accommodate students during the pandemic. Still, for some, it hasn’t felt like enough. The pandemic has exposed inequality issues, made mental health resources less accessible and impacted students’ learning experiences. “For me, it feels like COVID-19 pointed out that we have a communication issue,” Whichard said.

La Place emphasized the importance of including student voice in decisions related to student needs. “Often, adults will sit in a room and decide what the problem is,” La Place said. “In the future, we need to work to amplify the voices of students who are being impacted.”

Hawes is relocating to Washington, D.C. for the span of one year due to her husband’s new job opportunity and plans on returning to the Bay Area afterward. “My husband was looking for an opportunity to give back to the community and found a job working for the government in D.C.,” she said. “He’s going to take his Silicon Valley technology knowledge and will use it to improve the technology of the government, which is exciting and a one-year opportunity, and so I hope to come back after a year.”

One thing Hawes will miss during her time gone are the motivated, bright students she has met. “I’m never going to forget the great students,” she said. “Everyone comes to school so eager to learn and everyone’s so kind and they all take care of each other, and I think that’s so special.”

Hoping to try out as many Gunn events as possible before she leaves, Hawes will be chaperoning prom this year and plans on attending the senior picnic. “It’s my last year here so I have to go,” she said. “And I hope to do things with students and interact with them one last time before I leave.”

Several students from her AP Calculus BC class have received a memorable gift that will remind them of Hawes and the times they have spent in her class. “My husband is a big Warriors fan and every year, he brings back bobbleheads from games and I use them to decorate my room,” she said. “I didn’t want to bring them with me when I moved to DC, so I thought I’d give them a good home by giving them to my students.”

Hawes has one last piece of advice for all students and teachers. “Don’t compare yourself to other people, and always be your best self,” she said. “If you work hard and believe in yourself, you will have tremendous success.”

On March 8, the Board of Education held a special meeting for a laning board study session with the purpose of clarifying common language, deepening understanding and discussing the why and the what, research, practice and some pros and cons regarding ability grouping, laning, tracking and access.

The study session was driven by the district’s strive for increased equity, opportunity and choice through Strategic Plan Initiative A3. The purpose of the initiative is to significantly raise the achievement of historically underserved students by ensuring equity of preparation, access and support.

Superintendent Dr. Max McGee said that the historical precedent for de-laning happened at Palo Alto High School (Paly) when they combined English 9 and 9A two years ago. “Before I arrived—when Dr. Kevin Skelly was superintendent—they had a board presentation regarding combining English 9 and 9A at Paly and apparently not everything went as planned,” McGee said. “Hearing about this presentation and the follow- up from some of the board members at the time, it seems to me that perhaps there really wasn’t enough background knowledge or big-picture information presented.”

McGee said that the board’s recent information session was held in order to look at existing research and hear opinions. He stated that the study session was really driven by Gunn’s proposal to combine Algebra 1 and 1A and the opportunity to look at the effects of the combination of English 9 and 9A at Paly.

As a follow-up, Gunn will bring forward a proposal to combine Algebra 1 and 1A at the April board meeting.

McGee noted that the term de-laning is probably a misnomer. “Combining Algebra 1 and 1A is not about de-laning; there will still be plenty of lanes in math—even freshmen year,” McGee said. “This is really just combining Algebra 1 and 1A.”

Math department Instructional Supervisor (IS) Kathy Hawes doesn’t view the combination of Algebra 1 and Algebra 1A as de-laning either. “I see this combination of courses as a delay of laning,” Hawes said. “By placing all Math 8 students in the same Algebra class, we are giving students an opportunity to experience high school before deciding which math lane is more appropriate, either the advanced lane or the college prep lane.” Hawes says this is especially important now that Gunn is allowing open enrollment.

Hawes says the advantage of laning is that it allows students to study math according to their interest level and workload. “For students who are not interested in Science Technology Engineering and Math fields, taking a college prep level class allows them more time to focus on other interests,” Hawes said. “For students who have a strong interest in math and mathematical problem solving, the Advanced and Honors lanes provide a more in-depth study and a greater homework load.”

Hawes said that the main disadvantage of laning occurs when students are locked into the wrong track at an early age. “This is why we call our course offerings lanes and allow students to change lanes each year when choosing courses,” Hawes said.

McGee said the feedback from the community during the March 8 meeting varied. Most of the parents who spoke, McGee said, were afraid of the idea of de-laning. “Their assumption is that you are taking something away from the kids who are accelerated or advanced, and we made it very clear that this workshop and any further conversations about de-laning was not about removing top lanes; it was about combining lower lanes,” McGee said.

Moving forward, McGee wants this decision to go to the board. He believes it’s better to take the community’s opinion into account for this matter, and wants to ensure that everybody has the opportunity to be heard—he is especially eager to hear what students have to say.

According to Paly English Department IS Shirley Tokheim, a few years ago Paly recommended that all incoming freshmen take 9A, so for the past two years, all freshmen have taken 9A. “The result of having heterogeneous classes is that all freshmen learn solid, fundamental skills so that when they do have to choose an accelerated or honors course, all students have the opportunity to do so,” Tokheim wrote in an email.

Tokheim said that educators know from research that students in lower lanes rarely uplane. “We also know that given the choice, students choose their lanes based more on what their friends choose rather than on ability,” Tokheim said in an email. “We know that students in lower lanes are often not as prepared as students who have access to a more rigorous curriculum.” She said that at Paly, they believe in providing all students the opportunity to experience a rigorous curriculum—without limiting their options. Accoridng to Tokheim, having all students take 9A has been a big success, and she would never support dividing students the way they did in the past. “Heterogeneous classes best serve all students, and as a teacher of 9A, I can say that it’s fantastic to help build those skills with all students together,” she said in an email.

Junior Juan Santos agrees with the fundamentals of de-laning that McGee brought up. Although he doesn’t view this as a necessary change, Santos believes it will encourage students to academically experiment and challenge themselves. “Putting everyone in the same situation could allow for more experimentation,” Santos said. “I think it would be beneficial for lower lanes because it encourages kids to strive for the higher lane and progress. It gives them the environment to truly evaluate themselves and see where they can go.”

McGee hopes that over the course of the next few years, electives and Advanced Placement classes will have a more proportional representation from historically underrepresented groups. “Hopefully we will have more students overall who feel like they can succeed in these more challenging classes,” McGee said.

Hawes explained that the purpose of combining Algebra 1 and Algebra 1A is to address one of Gunn’s Western Association of Schools and Colleges goals to increase achievement for all learners, especially historically underrepresented populations. “In the past, only Algebra 1A students have been able to take Geometry over the summer to bridge to Algebra 2/TrigA as a sophomore,” Hawes said. “With this schedule change, all students will have the opportunity to make this bridge if taking calculus in high school is important to their interests and career goals.”