School board tables vote on finalized reopening date

Board still aiming for March 18 reopening

Dixon school board members at a special meeting Monday unanimously approved tabling a resolution to reopen schools — due to the resolution’s concerning language.

Though members support a March 18 reopening date, the resolution also establishes an emergency resolution in the event of a concerted refusal by teachers to work, despite Dixon Teachers Association (DTA) members emphasizing that they have no intention to do so.

At its Feb. 18 meeting, the board unanimously voted to approve a phasedin approach to return students to on-campus classrooms, which have been closed since March 16 due to the coronavirus pandemic. Dixon Unified School District aimed for schools to return to inperson classes in the middle of March, provided Solano County remains in the red tier for two weeks. With cases declining in Dixon and the anticipated announcement of a return to the red tier — which occurred Tuesday — the district set March 18 as a possible return date with the board asked to finalize it Monday.

That item made up the first half of the resolution and did not generate much pushback, but the remainder of it did. DUSD Superintendent Brian Dolan said the district was continuing to negotiate with DTA and the local chapter of the Service Employees International Union 1021 over certain items related to the reopening of schools. He said he and the board had a “good faith belief” that representatives were considering the refusal to work due to safety concerns related to the pandemic.

Dolan later said he did expect a concerted refusal to work to take place, but if such an event were to occur, a resolution was presented to preemptively establish guidelines. The resolution would not prevent teachers from peacefully picketing, rallying or distributing leaflets but would preclude them from doing any type of activities that would interfere with district operations.

Any participation would be noted, and employees would not be allowed to use sick leave, personal necessity or other authorized leaves if evident that it would be used to participate in a concerted refusal to work, he said. If an employee is sick, they would need to provide verification.

However, DTA representatives clarified they have never expressed an intention to strike or refuse to work. DTA President Kathy Michals said they did not want to take additional time away from students by taking days off and were willing to work after hours. She also said DTA and DUSD were very close to completing negotiations before Thanksgiving, but after Solano reverted to the purple tier, a second memorandum of understanding regarding distance learning needed to be negotiated.

“The DTA executive board, its members and the bargaining team are chagrined to see the DUSD board take such an unnecessary action, especially in light of the positive progress we saw at the negotiations table,” she said.

Michals also requested the board vote against the resolution and continue to negotiate “in good faith.”

“We care deeply about our students and their families,” she said. “We are eager to return to inperson teaching under safe conditions for ourselves, for our community and for our students.”

Kathleen Burrows, an English teacher at John Knight Middle School, called the resolution “draconian” and said it would create a lot of stress for teachers.

“If you vote in favor of this resolution, parents and the community at large will infer that our teachers at large are hatching nefarious plans against our students, which could not be further from the truth,” she said. “Dixon teachers want to safely return to our classrooms, and our bargaining team feels confident that they are close to wrapping up negotiations.”

Katie Lavin, a fourth and fifth-grade combo teacher at Gretchen Higgins Elementary School, asked why the date was set for March 18 when Solano will not have been out of the red tier for two weeks by then. She also inquired about the progress in setting up rooms.

Dolan said the previous week qualified the district for red conditions despite being in the purple tier. This new guidance triggers a transition into the red tier, which Dolan said eliminates the waiting period for schools to reopen.

Regarding the preparedness of classrooms, DUSD Technology Coordinator Marc Monachello said the maintenance department has delivered air purifiers to all classrooms, and hand sanitizer dispensers have been installed. He said the district is also starting to deliver desks with plastic barriers as well as personal protective equipment.

“We didn’t want to set things up too much because then we’ve gotta store things in the meantime,” he said.

Monachello said the barriers have been delivered to the elementary schools but still need to be set on the desks.

Parents expressed support for the resolution, citing a need for students to return to classrooms. Michelle Daggett said Dixon had not seen any new cases in five days as of Monday and that returning students to classrooms would be better for parents and students socially and emotionally.

“On behalf of parents, please make this work in a way that will create a positive relationship for everyone moving forward,” she said.

Holly Purcell said her daughter is getting good grades, but her social/ emotional well-being has not been positive.

“She barely gets out of her bed to do school,” she said. “That’s not OK for a teenager.”

Trustee DJ Bowen said he supported students returning to classrooms, but felt an MOU should be approved first.

“I know negotiations are difficult, and I would trust that teachers know what’s best for students and I want their voices heard in a fair way at the table,” he said.

Bowen also said an agreement, including schedules, needs to be finalized.

President Caitlin O’Halloran asked if the board could separately approve a reopening date and leave out the concerted refusal to work portion of the resolution. Dolan said the item was developed by the district’s legal counsel, and the board did not have the capacity to remove it without first consulting the counsel. He also said a special meeting could be called to address the issue.

Trustee Lloyd McCabe said he was strongly in favor of returning students to classrooms before the end of the academic year. However, he said the resolution as written could create further trust issues.

“I’m hoping in the next 10 days the union and the district negotiations teams can get together and do something for the kids,” he said.

McCabe motioned to table the matter until a special meeting or the next regular meeting on March 18. The board voted 4-0 to approve the motion, as Trustee Melissa Maseda was absent. O’Halloran said the board was sticking with its planned March 18 reopening but was pausing to reconsider some of the language in the resolution.

DUSD will also be hosting a trio of virtual informational town halls regarding the reopening plans at 6 p.m. Wednesday for secondary school families, 5:30 p.m. Thursday for elementary families and at 7:30 p.m. Thursday for Spanish-speaking families at all grade levels. All meetings will be held via Zoom at Zoom.us/j/24501 90859?pwd=dGNLSU VG RjNlNk1ad1VFamZJcm JGQT09. The meeting ID is 245 019 0859, and the password is 5SRcUr.