Collective bargaining is a normal and legally required part of public employment in California. The process is governed by the Educational Employment Relations Act, also known as the Rodda Act (Government Code §3540 et seq.), which establishes how school and county offices of education negotiate with labor organizations such as CTA (representing certificated staff) and SEIU (representing classified staff). Bargaining occurs on a regular cycle to update agreements that outline wages, hours, and working conditions. Both sides exchange proposals, meet to discuss them, and work through differences in good faith. If an agreement isn’t reached right away, the previous contract remains in effect while discussions continue. California's rules and regulations for the collective bargaining process even include tools and procedures designed to help conclude negotiations, including assistance from neutral state mediators and ultimately a three member fact-finding panel.  The collective bargaining process is a steady, structured process designed to ensure fairness, protect employee rights, and maintain stability for schools, staff, and students. It’s not a sign of conflict, but simply how public education systems in California routinely manage labor relations. Collective Bargaining Flow Chart

Below is a chart of the negotiations meetings to date and those scheduled*:

*Note: The SCOE negotiations team has communicated that nights and weekends are always available for negotiations. 

Represented employees can find themselves “working without a contract” when negotiations between SCOE and ASCOE or SEIU are still in progress when the most recent contract expires. While that phrase can sound unsettling, it’s important to know that all employee rights and protections remain firmly in place.  Under the Rodda Act (Government Code §3540 et seq.), once a contract expires, the status quo must be maintained until a successor agreement is reached. 

This means salaries, health benefits, hours, and working conditions cannot legally be changed by SCOE without negotiation. Even without a settled contract, all SCOE employees remain secure in their positions, continue receiving pay and benefits, and retain full protection under the laws that safeguard public educators statewide. This is a standard part of the bargaining process, designed to preserve stability for staff and students while good-faith negotiations are underway.

SCOE has proposed a 2.3% salary increase to all steps on the salary schedule, matching the state’s cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) provided to SCOE. Budgetarily, this offer represents an increase of more than $1.2 million if applied to all employees. In addition, most SCOE employees have already received step, column, and longevity-based increases effective July 1, 2025, totaling more than $500,000 in added compensation for the 2025–26 school year. Combined, these adjustments represent a commitment of nearly $2 million in total salary increases for SCOE employees this year.

This proposal reflects SCOE’s ongoing commitment to providing competitive compensation while managing the same fiscal challenges facing districts statewide. Over the past six years, represented SCOE employees have received compounded salary increases totaling 41.7%, including 8% in each of the last three years. In addition, most employees received step, column, and longevity-based increases exceeding 10% during that same period. Combined, most represented SCOE employees have seen total salary growth of more than 50% over six years. By comparison, SCOE received only 24.4% in cumulative state cost-of-living adjustments (COLAs) over that time. In other words, SCOE’s investment in staff compensation has been roughly double the state’s COLA funding, a remarkable commitment that underscores SCOE’s deep appreciation for the skill, dedication, and service of its employees.

By comparison, management received only the state COLA, just 1.07% last year, underscoring our commitment to prioritize represented employees. In addition to annual raises, SCOE provides longevity bonuses to nonmanagement employees that further reward continued service, resulting in higher salaries for employees who dedicate their careers to the organization. It’s also worth noting that SCOE salaries remain highly competitive with similar positions in local districts. This is evident from the many experienced educators who have chosen to build their careers here. In the midst of complex fiscal pressures facing both SCOE and the state, this offer balances responsibility with respect, sustaining SCOE’s tradition of valuing its people while protecting long-term financial stability for all.

During collective bargaining, both SCOE and union representatives have the opportunity to make proposals related to compensation, benefits, and working conditions. These proposals are discussed, refined, and negotiated in good faith until mutual agreement is reached. The current negotiations include topics such as salary schedules, health and welfare benefits, and other contract provisions that impact employees and operations across SCOE.

Compassionate Leave and Work Impact

SCOE recognizes that employees sometimes face profound personal challenges, including end-of-life circumstances involving loved ones. We understand that any solution to grant extra leave for such situations must reflect a shared commitment to compassion while also recognizing the ripple effects that extended absences can have. For employees working in classrooms, prolonged absences affect students who rely on stable, trusted relationships; for office-based staff, additional time away impacts co-workers and team cohesion. 

SCOE’s current contracts offer a highly competitive package of sick leave and personal necessity days. Employees with strong attendance are further recognized with an additional vacation day each year for minimal sick leave use. California already provides some of the most generous sick and personal leave provisions in the nation, and SCOE’s policies build on that foundation by supporting employee well-being while maintaining continuity for students and colleagues. Through labor’s leadership, SCOE also administers a “catastrophic leave bank,” allowing staff to support one another during exceptional personal hardships. In addition, the contracts provide progressive vacation increases based on years of service, rewarding long-term commitment to SCOE and the students we serve. In an organization dedicated to teaching and service, SCOE’s greatest obligation is to protect consistency, stability, and the collective strength of the teams who make that work possible every day.

Extra Holidays and Floating Days

SCOE recognizes 14 paid holidays in its annual calendar and goes further by granting two floating holidays each year. These floating holidays, observed with advance supervisor approval, allow our employees the flexibility to participate in days of personal, cultural, or religious significance. We strive to ensure that individuals of all faiths, traditions, and beliefs can honor holidays that are meaningful to them while maintaining equity and inclusivity across our workforce.

Health and Welfare Benefits in Retirement

SCOE currently offers a retiree health benefit that is among the more comprehensive structures provided by county offices of education and local school districts. Retirees receive a monthly health and welfare contribution of $960, established by superintendent policy rather than through collective bargaining. This contribution supports access to a range of health plan options.  The existing eligibility criteria — retirement at age 55 with at least 15 years of service — are designed to balance recognition of long-term service with the need to maintain fiscal sustainability for future retirees.  In addition, the state retirement systems themselves — both the "California State Teachers Retirement System" (CalSTRS) and "California Public Employees Retirement System" (CalPERS) — are financially aligned to highly incentivizing an employee to consider retirement at age 55 or greater. Changes to adjust the age eligibility down to age 50 would significantly increase costs and could also diminish organizational capacity and continuity at a time when institutional knowledge and leadership stability are critical to SCOE’s mission.

Commitment to Fairness and Respect

Across all areas of negotiation, SCOE has consistently worked to demonstrate a commitment to fair treatment, respectful dialogue, and good-faith bargaining. Many aspects of our contracts exceed those found in comparable public-sector agreements, reflecting a long-standing culture of valuing and supporting employees. We remain dedicated to sustaining that balance — offering competitive compensation and meaningful benefits while safeguarding the financial stability that ensures we can continue to serve students, schools, and staff for years to come.

SCOE’s salaries are among the highest in Sonoma County’s public education system — and that is a fact we are proud to support. Our work requires top-tier expertise across teaching, finance, operations, and leadership. We are a countywide service agency supporting 40 districts and nearly 65,000 students, and the quality of our work depends on attracting and retaining highly skilled professionals.

Our compensation reflects both the complexity of what we do and the expectations placed on us by the state, local districts, and our community. SCOE’s staff lead regional and statewide initiatives, manage multi-million-dollar grants, and deliver specialized services that no single district could provide alone.

In short, SCOE should be among the highest-paid education professionals in the county — because the work we do demands experience and excellence.  Sonoma County students deserve nothing less.

County offices of education in California have the discretion to operate special education programs but are not required to do so.  For many years, SCOE chose to provide these programs countywide, serving as many as approximately 600 students in more than 50 classrooms. In recent years, however, local districts have expanded their capacity to serve students within their own schools — a shift encouraged by the state and strongly supported by decades of research showing that students learn best when educated alongside their age-alike peers in their home districts. Being part of their neighborhood schools fosters inclusion, consistency, and connection — factors proven to improve academic, social, and emotional outcomes for students with disabilities.

This transition, known as “program transfer” or attrition, has gradually reduced the number of SCOE-operated classrooms to 13, serving roughly 100 students, with an average of fewer than nine students per class. As the size of SCOE’s special education program has decreased—from 27 classes in 2023-24 to 20 last year and 13 this year — so, too, has the department’s administrative structure. The program is now overseen by a director rather than an assistant superintendent, reflecting its smaller scale. Many teachers and classroom assistants previously employed by SCOE have been hired by local districts, ensuring continuity of service and care for students while strengthening local ownership of special education across Sonoma County.

County offices of education in California maintain strong reserves to ensure financial stability and protect vital student services during uncertain economic conditions. These reserves are required under state regulations as a safeguard against revenue volatility, unanticipated costs, and state budget delays. While county offices are not intended to serve as direct funding sources for district payroll, their financial stability allows them to continue oversight and support functions even when local districts face hardship. During the 2008 fiscal crisis, some county offices temporarily extended short-term cash assistance to help districts meet payroll while the state delayed education payments. That experience reinforced the importance of maintaining healthy reserves — not as a bailout fund, but as a fiscal safety net that enables county offices to provide consistent services, maintain credibility, and ensure stability for schools and students across the county.

Today, many Sonoma County school districts are experiencing significant financial strain due to declining enrollment, rising operational costs, and state funding that has not kept pace with inflation or local needs. Several districts are facing difficult decisions about staffing, programs, and long-term sustainability. In this environment, maintaining strong county office reserves is more important than ever. These funds ensure SCOE can continue providing critical fiscal oversight, emergency support, and instructional services when districts face instability. Preserving this safety net is an act of stewardship—protecting both our colleagues in the field and the students who depend on the uninterrupted delivery of educational programs across Sonoma County.

County superintendents are elected to meet the changing needs of their communities, and the state Legislature grants county offices of education broad flexibility under local control to do so — an essential foundation for staying relevant and effective for students. Accordingly, SCOE’s structure continues to evolve as priorities shift. New positions are created when needed, while others phase out naturally. Several years ago, for example, SCOE invested heavily in maker-space education to build countywide capacity; today, that focus has moved toward artificial intelligence and digital learning.

SCOE now manages more grants and partnerships than at any time in the past decade, many of which include staffing requirements tied to specific deliverables. The recently awarded state equity and mathematics grants, for instance, each require and fund administrative leadership. This steady adaptation reflects a simple truth: change at SCOE is not a disruption — it is how the organization stays responsive to emerging needs, with students always at the center.

Guided by her doctorate work in organizational change and leadership, Dr. Carter has intentionally reimagined SCOE’s leadership model to create a flatter, more empowered organization. She eliminated the associate superintendent tier and the executive director role, streamlining the structure to remove unnecessary layers of hierarchy. This design fosters collaboration, speeds decision-making, and places authority closer to the work. By empowering leaders to act with autonomy and accountability, SCOE has become more agile, cohesive, and aligned to the real-time needs of schools and districts across Sonoma County.

A year ago, SCOE employed three deputy superintendents, five assistant superintendents, a senior director, an executive director, and thirteen directors. Today, there is one deputy superintendent, five assistant superintendents, and eighteen directors. As divisions such as Special Education, Alternative Education, and North Coast School of Education have decreased in size, leadership titles have been right-sized accordingly. Most recently, the county superintendent worked with the Personnel Commission to reclassify the assistant superintendent of human resources as a director position, aligning with reductions in overall staffing over the past six years. The total number of certificated managers remains steady at 24, but their distribution has been realigned to reflect current organizational needs, resulting in a net budgetary reduction.

Finally, the new director of administrative services role strengthens this flatter leadership model by coordinating systems, not controlling people. The position ensures alignment across departments, manages resources and compliance, and maintains clear communication. This operational backbone keeps the organization coherent and stable while allowing empowered leaders to act decisively and collaboratively in service of students.

No. The information submitted to the state was entirely accurate and clearly reflected the Association of Sonoma County Office of Education’s (ASCOE) opposition to the waiver.

At the Sept. 4 County Board of Education meeting, the preamble to the resolution related to a retired administrator’s waiver to return to work did not reflect ASCOE’s position. The evening before the meeting — and several days after the agenda had been posted — ASCOE sent an email to staff indicating they were choosing to oppose the waiver. Because this update occurred after the agenda was posted, the change was not incorporated into the preamble presented to the board. While the information could have been clarified during the meeting, it was an inadvertent oversight that ASCOE's updated position was not brought to the board’s attention at that time.

Despite this oversight, the superintendent’s office ensured that both the California Department of Education and the State Board of Education received documentation clearly noting ASCOE’s opposition. The official waiver submission accurately represented ASCOE’s position, and at no point was incorrect information provided to the state.

In an abundance of care and commitment to transparency, an informational item will be discussed at the board meeting on Nov. 6 to formally document ASCOE’s dissent. This procedural step ensures that the public record fully aligns with what was already submitted to the state.

In October, SCOE decided to fill a vacant assistant superintendent of human resources position with an experienced, retired former SCOE administrator — a move that reduced costs for the county office while avoiding competition with local districts also seeking qualified administrators.

Because the individual is a CalSTRS retiree, state law required SCOE to request a waiver from the California Department of Education and the State Board of Education to allow the retiree to temporarily serve in a classified leadership role. Under California Education Code and regulations (Government Code §§21220–21229), retirees who receive a CalSTRS pension generally cannot hold a position with a California school agency unless such a waiver or exemption is granted.

Waivers of this kind are common across California school agencies and are used when a retiree’s specialized expertise is needed to maintain continuity of operations while a permanent replacement is being recruited. In this case, the administrator’s service provided critical leadership stability in a classified management position that would otherwise have remained vacant.

The waiver was submitted in full compliance with state law, and all information provided to the California Department of Education and the State Board of Education accurately and transparently reflected ASCOE’s stated position and the circumstances of the appointment.