Mt. Diablo Unified is one of the largest public school districts in the Bay Area,  covering roughly 150 square miles, including Concord, Clayton, most of Pleasant Hill and parts of Walnut Creek, Lafayette, Martinez, and Pittsburg. With a few exceptions, it is an overwhelmingly working class school district serving approximately 35,000 students, putting it on par with Oakland Unified and West Contra Costa Unified. 

   Like districts across California and the United States that serve predominantly working class communities, Mt Diablo is beset by large class sizes, under-resourced programs, and chronic understaffing, the latter problem exacerbated by the pandemic, with severe shortages of substitutes and classified personnel. Prep period subbing and lack of assistants are system-wide problems, adding stress to a beleaguered teacher corps, already feeling overwhelmed and disrespected. 

   Which brings us to contract negotiations between Mt Diablo Unified and the Mt Diablo Educators Association (MDEA). In late 2019, after a customarily plodding round of negotiations that stretched for almost a year and half, characterized by systematic stalling and bad faith by the District, the MDUSD School Board agreed to a 5.5% salary hike, which it reneged on once the pandemic began on grounds that a COVID recession was in the offing. In fact, the District did not lose funds during the pandemic as more than $100,000,000 came into District coffers from the state and federal governments as a means of relief. 

   Mt Diablo’s contract expired on June 30th of this year and bargaining has resumed. District’s initial offer suggests that it feels no inclination let alone compulsion to make amends for the fact that Mt Diablo Unified teachers have received no pay raise in three years.. Its proposal is for a 0% pay increase this year, 2% next year, and 0% the year after that–in other words, a 2% pay hike over a five year period (2018-2023). In addition, District proposes longer work days for elementary and middle school teachers and a collection of other demands that amount to more work for (effectively) less. 

Aaron Hackett