Oakdale Joint Unified School District employees will see a portion of their salaries restored in actions taken by the district Board of Trustees at the Feb. 4 regular meeting. The school district is able to meet the costs incurred.

The board unanimously agreed to ratify the tentative agreement between the district and the Classified School Employees Association #830, which includes the one percent salary restoration and the staff will work the previously-scheduled furlough days of March 15 and April 18 for this school year. The fiscal impact to the district will be $64,843. CSEA chapter #830 President Mark Mutoza had stated that while he didn’t have a large voter turnout, it did pass overwhelmingly.

Further, the board unanimously approved to ratify the tentative agreement between OJUSD and the Oakdale Teachers Association. It, too, includes the one percent salary restoration and the staff working the two furlough days that were scheduled for March and April. The fiscal impact of the bargaining agreement on this year’s budget is $202,052. OTA President Stacy Graham had commented that they were happy to come to an agreement with the district; however, she noted that “this was a hard contract for some of our teachers.” She added that there was a large voter turnout, 126 out of 250, and that the number of “no” votes was “eye-opening” to her.

The board also approved the one percent salary restoration for management and confidential employees to be retroactive to July 1, 2012. Staff will also work the two previously-scheduled furlough days. The restoration will result in a fiscal impact of $38,782.

The next item was to restore one percent to the board’s compensation, which would equate to $3 per trustee per month. Board members currently receive $314 per month, which includes a 2.5 percent reduction taken from the base pay of $322. Board members also receive health benefits at the same rate as OJUSD classified employees.

Trustee Tina Shatswell stated that she personally felt they were already fairly compensated and that the one percent restoration wasn’t necessary. Trustee Diane Gilbert concurred with Shatswell.

Trustee Bill Dyer moved to approve the action item as written, to restore the one percent to the board members’ compensation, but it failed for lack of a second. Shatswell moved to not accept the one percent restoration; Gilbert seconded the motion. It passed 4-0, with Dyer dissenting.

In other business, the board also approved the architect for the district’s new Central Kitchen facility to be Gary Gery of DLR Group, in a 4-0 vote, with Dyer abstaining. The Central Kitchen is expected to cost $1.1 million.

Also in other business, the district’s auditor reported no material adjustments and no audit findings, giving the district an unqualified opinion, which is the best judgment from the auditor.

Superintendent Marc Malone provided a report about the recent evening lockdown at Oakdale High School due to a police action and pursuit of suspects in Oakdale. Malone noted how easy it is to do a lockdown drill when students are in the classroom but the real lockdown, in an uncontrolled situation, added another challenge. Malone said that it was a challenge because the high school had swimming and wrestling practices, CSEA voting, various evening classes in session, eighth grade parent night to take place in the gym, and two busses transporting the girls basketball teams from Manteca back to OHS. He explained how the students on campus were swept into the gym and how district employees on campus helped wherever they were needed. He explained how they communicated with the sheriff’s department and the procedures that took place. He also explained how students were released and that the campus was under control by 7:30 p.m., then a final sweep was done and students and custodial staff were ushered off campus by 8 p.m. Malone spoke about the Connect Ed phone-notification system and that they discovered a change that needed to be done to it, and it has now been addressed. He said that the lockdown went well but that there are still some issues they need to address and that they never thought they’d have a lockdown at night.

The next regular meeting of the OJUSD Board of Trustees will be at 6:30 p.m. on Monday, March 12 in the Oakdale City Council Chambers, 277 N. Second.