Dublin Unified School District teachers and staff initiated a strike from March 9th-12th after a 95% authorization vote was made by the DTA. This was followed by the stalled negotiations over class sizes, pay and healthcare coverage. Over the course of the 4-day strike, hundreds of teachers, students, and parents picketed outside of schools and the District office. The strike caused a schedule change in schools as the majority of campuses remained open during the duration of the strike. A tentative agreement was met on March 12th, 2026, leading to the end of the strike and a return to school. But this event marked a hard time in our school district, as students lacked access to educational resources and classes, and we must seriously consider the incompetence of the District Board for allowing such an event to take place.

During the strike, teachers and parents criticized the DUSD Board for several reasons, mainly centered on the obvious disconnect between the Board’s budget priorities and the realities facing our classrooms. The “Rainy Day” Fund was something the union (DTA) argued the district was sitting on a $30 million reserve, while the board claimed they couldn’t spend it because of an upcoming $10 million budget deficit. To teachers, it felt like the board was hoarding cash while class sizes ballooned (they had a good point). There was significant frustration that the board spent millions on the new Emerald High School and other facilities but claimed they “couldn’t afford” to give teachers a cost-of-living raise or hire more counselors. When you choose a parking lot over the well-being of your staff and students, people tend to get restless. For 18 months, the board insisted on a 1% salary offer, which many felt was an insult given the high cost of living in Dublin and the skillful work required by our teachers. They only moved to 2.3% after the strike actually began. Critics pointed out that the board’s refusal to settle earlier cost the district over $600,000 in state funding due to low student attendance during the strike, money that could have gone toward the teachers’ raises in the first place. Of course, you won’t hear about this in the load of emails the district sent about how this event “wasn’t their fault”. During public comments, parents often described the board as dismissive or out of touch with the “burnout” teachers were experiencing with 30+ students in elementary classrooms, yet they still pushed to increase class sizes. 

A 2.3% ongoing pay raise retroactive to July 1, 2025. This was a compromise between the union’s 3.5% demand and the district’s initial 2.1% offer. A phased plan to reach 100% district-funded Kaiser Single premium coverage by January 1, 2028 is as follows: 85% coverage effective July 1, 2026, 90% coverage effective Jan. 1, 2027. Specific elementary (K–5) ratios were reduced by 1–2 students per class. For example, kindergarten dropped from 24 to 23; 4th/5th grades dropped from 28 to 26. Full-time elementary counselors guaranteed at every TK–5 site through the 2027–28 school year.

A new credentialed teacher-librarian for Emerald High School and guarantees for all high schools. Secondary Education Specialist caseloads dropped from 28 to 23. By forcing a strike over a $30 million reserve and losing $600,000 in daily revenue, the board effectively proved that their fiscal “caution” was actually a costly miscalculation that prioritized balanced spreadsheets over the stability of their own teachers and students.