School board extends raise terms to confidential staff
A salary increase approved last year now clearly covers classified confidential employees too, but only if the district receives $10 million in GS funds.
Two hosts walk through the week’s edition in conversation — approve compensation agreement for nonrepresented employees, board ratifies teachers contract and affordability, and what’s coming next. Generated by Aware, from this week’s verified summaries.
The board’s latest vote did not create a new raise; it clarified who is included and when 12-month employees would see the money.
A missing group got written back into the deal. The Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District Board of Education approved a compensation agreement for nonrepresented employees, covering senior management, management, and classified confidential staff. Assistant Superintendent Doug Mesa said the action was meant to clarify a salary increase the board had already approved on June 25, 2024, but had accidentally left classified confidential employees out of.
Mesa told the board the on-schedule increase remains tied to one condition: the district must receive $10 million in GS funds for the year. He said that same contingency language already applies to teachers. Fire nonrepresented employees, the practical effect is timing as much as eligibility. Mesa said those employees are paid over 12 months, so the increase would show up in the August paycheck.
The vote passed, with one board member absent due to travel. The action gives the district a cleaner compensation agreement for employee groups not covered by a union contract and settles a gap left in last summer’s approval. What comes next depends on the funding trigger. If the district receives the GS money, classified confidential employees would be included alongside the other nonrepresented groups already covered by the board’s earlier action.
Board ratifies teachers contract and affordability finding
Teachers got a contract ratified and an affordability finding to match. The board approved the collective bargaining agreement with SMMCTA and adopted the required AB 1200 public disclosure that says the district can cover the cost.
The agreement includes an on-schedule salary increase retroactive to July 1, 2025. It adds another increase that would kick in only if the district receives $10 million in GS funds. That makes the teachers deal line up with the same funding condition the board discussed for nonrepresented employees.
The vote gives the district a formal labor agreement and clears the state-required fiscal step that comes with it. Fire teachers, the immediate point is the retroactive raise date. Fire the district, the larger question remains the same one raised elsewhere on the agenda: whether the GS funding arrives and unlocks the added increase.
Board closes Franklin expansion property purchase
The board approved the final closing statement for the purchase of 814 25th Street next to Franklin Elementary School, with a purchase price of $2.8 million and total costs of $2,925,688.63. The district said the site will support campus expansion, with recommendations on immediate and future use expected within the next year.
large dollar figure ($2,925,688.63)
Board approves employee resignation settlement
In closed session, the board unanimously approved a settlement agreement with classified management employee XF266365. The agreement provides for the employee’s resignation and release of claims in exchange for a severance payment, though no amount or other terms were disclosed publicly.
litigation
Board approves ESY aid reimbursement settlement
The board approved a final settlement requiring the district to reimburse a student’s parents for private aid costs above $50 per hour for ESY services from July 1 through July 17, 2026. The closed-session action passed on a 6-1 vote, with no further details about the dispute released.
litigation
Board authorizes electric buses and chargers
The board opened and closed the required public hearing, then adopted Resolution 2603 authorizing an electric school bus fleet and charging infrastructure agreement with Highland Electric Fleets. The deal covers bus procurement along with the design, installation, operation, and maintenance of charging and related energy systems.
This decision affects fleet replacement costs, charging construction, and how quickly cleaner buses reach district routes.
What we didn’t fit in this Sundays edition
SANTA MONICA had 24 more items this week. Here are sixfour — the rest are on Aware.
- GOVERNANCEContract Amendment: Malibu Sites Alternative Power Projects (Generators, Solar, Microgrid Controls, Battery Storage). The Board approved a contract amendment for Malibu sites alternative power projects, including completed quick-connect generator work, planned automatic transfer switches, early procurement for solar and microgrid equipment, and design changes for Malibu Elementary/Webster and Malibu Middle School involving microgrid controls, switchboards, an energy control center, and resized battery storage to back up the full campus.
- GOVERNANCEUnions and board dispute law firm and payroll issues. SEIU and SMMCTA raised concerns about a law firm contract item, bargaining, and payroll problems tied to the new human capital management system. A board member responded that the Board directs legal work, the contract had been publicly listed, and the firm is rarely used for bargaining matters; both unions also referenced support for the parcel tax measure.
- GOVERNANCEUpdate on School Playground Surface Installation Projects and Material Selection Process. Staff presented an update on playground surface installations, explaining safety code requirements (fall protection and head injury criteria), comparing materials (grass, engineered wood fiber, sand, poured-in-place rubber, synthetic turf), and summarizing projects at Roosevelt, Lincoln CDC, McKinley, Grant, Ocean Park, and Franklin. Staff outlined next steps including a district inventory and further reporting in early September.
- GOVERNANCEActing Superintendent Report: Payroll System Transition, Summer Work, and District Preparations. Acting on behalf of Superintendent Shelton, Assistant Superintendent Gerardo Cruz addressed payroll issues tied to a transition from a long-running LACOE payroll system to a new system, described ongoing work with LACOE and district staff, and summarized summer operational work preparing for the new school year.
- GOVERNANCEAdopt Resolution 2602 Increasing Board Member Compensation. The Board adopted Resolution 2602 to increase Board member compensation consistent with statewide legislation raising the maximum allowable compensation. Staff noted SMMUSD compensation had been $400 per month for about 23 years (with $463 per month unchanged since July 2021). Board members discussed enabling broader community participation in public service.
- GOVERNANCEPTA Council Report: Endorsement of Funding Measure, Summer Programs, and Candidate Forum Announcement. PTA Council leaders reported on summer programming, partnerships, and PTA Council activities, including endorsing the citizen-led education funding measure. They announced a school board candidate forum on Tuesday, September 29 (hybrid) co-sponsored with the League of Women Voters Santa Monica.
- GOVERNANCEConsent Item Discussion and Approval: NLES (Nolles LLC) Training Contract for Custodial Supervisors. The Board discussed and approved a consultant agreement with NLES/Nolles LLC to train newly established custodial supervisors, with training intended to start the week of July 27. Staff described a pilot placing supervisors at six school sites and plans for an additional 10 supervisors in January.
- GOVERNANCEAppointment of Wasim Issa as Special Education Coordinator. The Board approved the appointment of Wasim Issa as Special Education Coordinator. Staff highlighted his SMMUSD alumni background, special education leadership experience including facilitating approximately 300 IEPs annually, and his credentials; Mr. Issa briefly addressed the Board.
- GOVERNANCEApproval of Purchase Orders (Santa Monica College Purchase Order Pulled for Separate Vote; Abstentions). The Board approved purchase orders, with the Santa Monica College-related purchase order pulled for separate consideration. Two board members abstained due to employment-related conflicts involving Santa Monica College; the remaining members approved.
- The week’s most important SANTA MONICA decisions
- Plain-English explanations, every Sunday
- Delivered to your inbox — one email a week
No charge, ever. Unsubscribe anytime.
- Everything Aware covers in SANTA MONICA — the full record, not just the highlights
- Plus full coverage of 3,000+ cities, not just yours
- Source documents, Ask Aware & Aware Explain
- Follow up to 5 towns · email meeting alerts
Snapshot is the starting plan — larger plans (Insight, Intelligence) add more towns, countries & usage. Sundays is the free weekly read; Aware is the platform that powers it.
Got a neighbor in SANTA MONICA who should read this?
Forwarding this Sundays edition is how Sundays grows. No paid ads — just neighbors telling neighbors.
FORWARD TO A NEIGHBOR →See an error? Email us.
Sundays is generated by the Aware platform (www.awarenow.ai) and verified against the official meeting record. If something looks wrong, please tell us — we respond within 24 hours and publish corrections directly on this page. corrections@awarenow.ai
Common questions
- What is Sundays?
- Sundays is a weekly civic newsletter for SANTA MONICA, CA. Each Sunday morning we summarize what the town council, school board, planning board, and other public bodies did that week — in plain English, with links to the official meeting record.
- How are these summaries generated?
- Sundays is produced by Aware (awarenow.ai), which ingests official agendas, minutes, and meeting recordings, then writes a short editorial summary that is verified against the public record before publishing.
- Where can I read past Sundays editions for SANTA MONICA?
- Every edition for SANTA MONICA is archived on the SANTA MONICA town hub. State-level archives live at sundays.news/ca.
- How do I subscribe?
- Sundays is free. Subscribe at the bottom of any edition or on the SANTA MONICA town hub — one short email every Sunday morning.
- Found an error?
- Email corrections@awarenow.ai. We respond within 24 hours and publish corrections on this page.
No resident comments recorded this week.