Message from Superintendent Almendarez

Dear Valued Educators, Staff, Administrators, and Community Members,

As your Superintendent, I’m honored to connect with each of you—our dedicated educators, staff, students, and families. Together, we have navigated challenges and celebrated successes, always driven by a shared commitment to providing the best education possible for our students. Today, I want to reaffirm our district’s unwavering dedication to our certificated staff and provide an update on where we are and where we’re headed.

On September 18, we had our fourth mediation session with Santa Ana Educators Association (SAEA), facilitated by a state-appointed mediator in accordance with the impasse process. While we haven’t reached a mutually acceptable agreement just yet, we remain optimistic. Both sides are committed to continuing the discussions in good faith, and we all share the same goal: to find an agreement that supports our educators and that benefits the entire school community, while also maintaining the District’s fiscal health. I appreciate everyone’s patience and dedication as we work toward a successful resolution.

Between 2019-2023, we’ve delivered a cumulative 17.75% salary increase, one of the highest cumulative increases in all of Orange County. With the additional 3% increase that the District offered for the 2023-2024 year, the total salary increase over the last five years would reach 20.75%, still one of the highest cumulative percentages in the County. We know how important it is to stay competitive, and our current offer reflects our ongoing commitment to honoring our staff’s hard work every day.

However, these accomplishments haven’t come without challenges. We’re facing one of the largest enrollment declines in the county, and a significant corresponding reduction in funding. While the state provided an 8.22% cost-of-living adjustment last year, our declining enrollment reduced the actual increase of Local Control Funding Formula (LCFF) revenue to just 2.47%. This year, LCFF funding will decrease by $26.4 million, and it’s projected to continue declining through 2025-2026. State and federal COVID-relief funds were an important part of our budget in recent years. However, we have spent down the vast majority of this funding, and we are now facing deficit spending as we continue to provide the programs and services that our students still need. Last year, the District  had a budgetary deficit of $56 million, and we are projecting a deficit of approximately $150 million in the current year. 

Even with these financial challenges, our commitment to providing fair and competitive compensation hasn’t wavered. In the 2023-24 negotiation sessions, we offered a 3% ongoing salary increase (exceeding the effective COLA of 2.47% by more than half a percent), along with a one-time 3% payment. Additionally, we’ve proposed absorbing the majority of the health benefit cost increases for the 2024-2025 school year.

We’re equally committed to maintaining class size averages below the levels in the current collective bargaining agreement, and to keeping one of the lowest counselor-to-student ratios in the state, for as long as possible. We know how important personalized support is to our students’ success. We’re also dedicated to continuing our before- and after-school programs, which provide vital learning opportunities and enrichments for our students.

As we continue to navigate these financial times, it’s crucial to understand that every increase in expenditures, including salary raises, directly affects our budget. The more we allocate to compensation, the harder it becomes to maintain our staffing levels, which could lead to layoffs. Additionally, we may have to increase class sizes to the maximum levels allowed by our contract. Our goal is to find a balanced approach—one that supports our staff, while also preserving as many jobs, programs, and small class sizes as possible.

I want to acknowledge our Board of Education for their tireless efforts to ensure we meet the needs of our students and community. They’ve directed staff to work diligently on finding a solution that respects our commitments to staff while protecting our educational programs, supports for student wellbeing, and staff-to-student ratios.  

To our staff and community, I extend my deepest gratitude. Your support and trust are invaluable. Your involvement is critical to the success of our students, and your voices help shape the future of our schools. Let’s continue our shared commitment to education and push forward with patience and perseverance. Together, we’ll keep making strides that honor the hard work of our staff and fulfill the educational promise we’ve made to our students and community. 

Sincerely,  

Jerry Almendarez, Superintendent of Schools  

For more information, please visit our negotiations website at www.sausd.us/labornegotiations.