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The district and RTPA are currently in mediation with the help of a state-appointed mediator.
ROCKLIN, Calif. — Dozens of teachers rallied outside the Rocklin Unified School District office Wednesday, demanding better pay, benefits, and safer classrooms as contract talks with the district continue.
Teachers with the Rocklin Teachers Professional Association (RTPA) stood in the rain holding signs and chanting, “Don’t delay, settle today,” saying their frustration has reached a breaking point.
“It feels sometimes like our district doesn’t care about the teachers,” said Laura Robeck, an eighth grade teacher.
Robeck said rising insurance costs have left her taking home less pay this year.
“We have actually had our pay lowered this year because our insurance has gone up,” she said. “As a veteran teacher, I feel very kind of insulted by that.”
She added that teachers haven’t seen a salary schedule increase since July 1, 2023, and that the district’s leadership failures have caused low morale and driven away good educators.
“I want to make sure my family’s supported and I want to be here,” Robeck said. “This is the school my kids go to, I just want to be supported by my district.”
For veteran teacher Colleen Crowe, who’s spent 29 years at Rocklin High School, the concerns go beyond wages.
“What’s more disconcerting is they weren’t willing to talk about safety issues,” Crowe said. “We need doors that lock. CO2 levels that are too high. They don’t even want to talk about it. Those safety issues are just as important as those wages and benefits.”
The district and RTPA are currently in mediation with the help of a state-appointed mediator.
In a statement to ABC10, the Rocklin Unified School District said:
“The Rocklin Unified School District values the strong collaborative partnership with the Rocklin Teachers Professional Association (RPTA) and shares the same goal of reaching a fair and sustainable agreement for the 2025–26 school year.
RTPA has proposed a 15.4 percent increase in salary and benefits, which would require significant budget adjustments that could affect educational programs and services for students. For the 2025–26 school year, the State provided all school districts with a 2.30% Cost of Living Adjustment. In response, Rocklin Unified has offered RTPA a 2% salary increase, dedicating most of the new ongoing revenue to employee compensation while also addressing other increasing costs and maintaining fiscal responsibility with public funds.
Rocklin Unified remains hopeful that with the support of the state-appointed mediator, both parties will continue to make meaningful progress toward an agreement that supports staff, protects classrooms, and benefits the entire Rocklin community.”
Teachers say the district has a 24% reserve that could help meet their demands.
“Our elementary teachers spend thousands of dollars on their own supplies, like every teacher across the nation,” Crowe said.
The teachers’ last major dispute with the district was eight years ago. While they say they hope to avoid a strike, Crowe said it remains a possibility.
“Nobody wants to strike,” she said. “But if that’s the end result to get them to listen to us, then that’s what we have to do.”
Both sides plan to continue working with the mediator in hopes of reaching an agreement.
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