Standoff between Sacramento City school district and teachers flares up
Talks between teachers and the Sacramento City Unified School district aimed at resolving a severe budget crisis have broken down as a dispute between the two parties heats up.
A scheduled meeting between the Sacramento City Unified School District and Sacramento City Teachers Association Wednesday to discuss the union’s proposal to solve the budget crisis ended before it began, after district officials walked out and the teachers union called it a “setup.”
The two were scheduled to meet to discuss cost saving ideas to alleviate a pending financial meltdown, according to a statement by the district.
In December, an independent financial audit identified a $30 million shortfall in the district’s budget, and warned of a possible takeover by the state if the problem was not addressed by November 2019, when money is expected to run out.
The district and the union were scheduled to meet for an hour Wednesday afternoon to discuss their differences, but a dispute about the location of the meeting and the time the two parties arrived derailed the talks before they began.
District officials said Thursday that union officials were late to the meeting, leaving Superintendent Jorge Aguilar waiting. Aguilar left about 20 minutes after the scheduled start time, when no union officials were present, district spokesman Alex Barrios said.
Union officials said Thursday they were in the lobby of the meeting space, and entered the meeting room about 15 minutes after the scheduled start time. An argument with remaining district officials then allegedly ensued, with all parties eventually leaving without conducting the scheduled meeting.
“SCTA leaders showed up late to the designated meeting location,” read a statement from the CONTINUE READING:Sacramento City leaders walk out of budget talks with teachers union | The Sacramento Bee
