The real story behind the strike.
As a student of the Natomas Unified School District since kindergarten, the recent events shaking this district have left many parents feeling anxious, worried, and confused, with many questioning how this may impact them or their children. With the district's control over the only unified communication channels (mass emails, texts, and updates), it is hard to figure out what is actually happening. Using my over 11 years of experience as a student, I have built this page to share verifiable facts and firsthand experiences so our community can cut through the PR spin and understand the true story behind these strikes.
The core dispute
Reported Teacher Demands
The teachers’ union is asking for an increase in salary that keeps up with the cost of living, requesting a 4.5% increase this year, and 4% next year.
More importantly, the union is asking for fully funded healthcare, including the popular Kaiser plan. According to the California Teachers Association (CTA), some Natomas educators must pay over $1,700 monthly out-of-pocket just to keep their families safe and covered.
Documented District Offer
According to the district’s negotiation updates, NUSD has offered a total raise of 4%, spread out over 2 years. For healthcare, they have offered to fund only the Western Health Advantage plan, being the absolute cheapest option and one that many teachers and their doctors do not use.
Fact-checking the PR
Comparative Analysis
"We are making great progress by signing safety and special ed agreements."
Analysis (Public Record)
Based on the official state Fact-Finding report released on March 5th, the articles regarding Safety and Special Education were already tentatively agreed upon well before the strikes began. By re-announcing those agreements now, the district aimed to distract from the fact that negotiations on the main issues (pay and healthcare) are entirely stagnant.
"The neutral fact-finder proved we cannot afford union demands."
Analysis (Public Record)
While many parents may rely on the district’s announcements, the 17-page report is actually much more nuanced than the NUSD’s soundbite spin on the facts. While the neutral fact-finder warned that funding initial demands posed financial risks, a union financial expert noted that the district has the funds and financial capacity to cover the Kaiser plan entirely. The union’s counter report argues that this money is simply being prioritized for administration rather than for our classrooms.
The Attendance Loophole
In California, public schools are funded based on the Average Daily Attendance (ADA). According to recent reporting from CBS Sacramento, the district receives around $81 per day for each student from the state, as long as that student shows up and is counted in a seat.
According to the district’s own FAQ, they are coincidentally not paying the daily salaries of the striking teachers. This creates a crucial financial loophole, exploited to the detriment of our teachers and students: if you send your student to school, the district collects a free $81 in state funding for the day while saving hundreds on unpaid teacher salaries. Despite the lack of any actual teaching, sending children to ‘holding rooms’ still gives the district the financial headroom to stall negotiations, lengthening the already frozen state of education and instructional time.
The Attendance Trap
Note to parents: While staying home is the only way to cut off the $81 state funding the district uses to stall, NUSD is marking these absences as unexcused. They are forcing you to choose between your student's attendance record and the pressure needed to end this staring contest.
On-the-ground reality
Direct Student Eyewitness Testimonials
The Environment
While the district claims schools are safe and open, many students who crossed the picket line reported otherwise. Instead of being in classrooms, students were grouped in masses, directed into ‘holding zones’ like the gym or cafeteria all day. According to various students, hundreds of kids were being supervised by just 3 to 4 adults at a time.
While your child may be marked as ‘present’, there is no actual education happening. Instead, students are told to stay in their seats with threats of their phones being confiscated, and forced to complete busywork packets. One student noted that 6th and 11th graders were being handed the same worksheets covering topics at the elementary level, including addition and subtraction, and basic pronouns. They were told that these packets would be arbitrarily ‘graded’, retroactively being applied to their real classes, creating unnecessary anxiety over useless material that had already been learned years prior.
Academic Harm
The implications of this strike are profound, heavily impacting our academic futures and ruining our hard work. Students on the ground report having zero access to the tools and resources needed to learn. Art students have no means of using their supplies, and are unable to use the school iPads. Ceramics students cannot work on their assignments, meaning student projects are literally drying out, passively being ruined. Science labs, musical instruments, books, and others are completely off limits.
Aside from taking mandated state practice tests, students are not allowed to use this time to study for upcoming AP exams. One student summarized the experience of sitting in the gym all day doing fake packets, labeling it as ‘very restricting’ and a ‘straight useless’ use of time. We students are losing crucial days of education. We need our real teachers back. It is not a fault of our educators that the district does not adequately support them in their ability to maintain a stable and safe life for their families. The district is actively participating in a state-funded staring contest, while teachers and students foot the bill.
End the staring contest.
Ending the strike requires both parties to return to the table and reach a fair agreement. Teachers belong in classrooms, and students belong with their teachers. Take a stand for our education today.