Twin Rivers Unified School District's focus remains on supporting students and keeping families informed. Photo by Max Fischer via Pexels

RIO LINDA, CA (MPG) – The ongoing labor situation has created uncertainty and disruption for many students and families. Many of you are arranging last-minute childcare, adjusting work schedules and answering difficult questions from your children about why their teachers aren’t at school. That disruption is real, and we don’t take it lightly.

We want you to know that our focus remains on supporting students and keeping families informed. Below are subject area updates on where negotiations currently stand.

Following months of negotiations, both parties participated in the state's independent fact-finding process, where a neutral panel reviewed evidence and facts presented. The panel issued an advisory report with recommended terms for settlement. The District adopted those recommendations as the basis for its most recent offer.

Salary

The District recommended a 2.5% on-schedule salary increase in 2025-26 and a 2.21% on-schedule salary increase in 2026-27. These figures do not include the yearly increases many earn for years of service (step) and education level (column).

Health

Under the District's proposal, teachers who choose the Kaiser HMO plan -- or any plan equal to or below that cost -- would pay nothing out of pocket for single, two-party, or family coverage. The District would also increase its contribution in 2026-27 to keep pace with any Kaiser premium increases, and the contribution paid in 2026-27 will be the new contribution cap and may be negotiated at that time.

Total Compensation Impact

Over the two-year period, the proposal represents a 9.36% increase in total compensation for employees who receive health benefits. This follows 18% in compensation increases over the previous three years, bringing the total compensation increase for teachers to more than 27% over five years. 

The current proposal represents over $20 million in new ongoing funding allocated to the teachers bargaining unit.

Over the course of negotiations, the District has increased its salary proposals, expanded health benefit contributions beyond what was initially offered, and ultimately adopted the full recommendations of the independent fact-finding panel.

We understand that our teachers feel strongly about compensation and benefits, and we respect their right to advocate for what they believe is fair.

After the District presented its fact-finding–based proposal, the union chose to begin a strike. Despite the strike, the District kept negotiations open and invited the union to return to the bargaining table.

The parties met again last week, and some progress was made on contract language. However, negotiations broke down again when the District asked whether 100% employer-paid health benefits for all health plans — permanently written into the contract — was a non-negotiable demand. The union confirmed that it was.

 At that point, the negotiation session ended, and multiple compromise options related to health benefits were rejected. We continue to hope the union will also be willing to move toward compromise so an agreement can be reached.

The Current Gap

As of press time, there remains approximately a $22 million gap between the District’s proposal and the union’s proposal. To help put that number into perspective, $22 million is roughly what the District spends each year on many student support programs, including counseling services, academic intervention and tutoring, mental health supports and after-school programs and enrichment opportunities.

Closing that gap would not be as simple as finding unused funds. Like most school districts, the majority of Twin Rivers’ budget is already committed to salaries and benefits, and our funding is determined by state formulas and student attendance. 

Why the District Is Concerned

Meeting the union’s full proposal would require the District to make significant reductions in other parts of the budget. Those reductions could directly affect students through larger class sizes, fewer counselors and mental health supports, reductions in electives and enrichment programs, and potential staff layoffs. Under California law, layoffs are based on seniority. That means newer teachers, who are often working in some of the hardest-to-staff classrooms, would be the first affected. 

Our goal is not to create fear, but to be transparent about the financial realities school districts must consider when making long-term commitments. Several districts that recently agreed to compensation packages beyond what their budgets could sustain are now facing structural deficits, layoffs and program cuts. 

Our responsibility is to make sure that any agreement we reach can be sustained over time without reducing services for students. 

There is an important statewide conversation happening about how California funds its public schools. The California Teachers Association has been advancing a coordinated campaign known as “We Can’t Wait,” which aims to build political momentum for a potential statewide revenue measure related to school funding. Many of the financial pressures our district faces are shared across the state, and the policy debate about school funding is real and important.

However, our obligation is to make decisions based on Twin Rivers’ specific financial situation and our students’ needs. While that statewide debate continues, the impacts of these negotiations are felt locally -- by students, teachers and families.

Some families have asked why the District has not released additional budget projections. 

The District’s financial information is public and reviewed annually by the Sacramento County Office of Education, which independently monitors the District’s fiscal health. The fiscal concerns we have raised are also consistent with the findings of the independent fact-finding panel. 

There is a false narrative that the District is hoarding money in its budget. That simply is not true. As of the last official reporting period ending January 31, 2026, the District projects an unrestricted ending fund balance in the General Fund of 10.46% of expenditures. Compare that to the State average of unified districts, which is 24.36%, and the District has less than half the average reserve for school districts. Further, Fund 40 is not being used to hoard money. The District received hundreds of millions during the pandemic and spent, not saved, most of that money for construction projects, which are evident by the improvements you see in schools districtwide. Any claim we do not spend our money on students is patently false.

 

Families who wish to review the District’s annual budget reports (District’s adopted budget, interim financial reports, and multi-year projections) can access them here: https://www.trusd.net/Departments/Administrative-Services/Fiscal-Services/.

Our Commitment

We want our teachers back in their classrooms. They are an essential part of our school community, and we value the work they do for students every day.

The District has put forward a compensation package that we believe recognizes teachers’ contributions while protecting the programs and services students depend on. The decisions being made right now will shape Twin Rivers schools for years to come, and we take that responsibility seriously.

We know this has been a difficult time. We share your desire to see this resolved and to have our teachers back in every classroom. Until then, we will continue to keep you informed, and we encourage you to reach out with questions. We’re in this together.

For further information and updates, visit: www.trusd.net/.