SBUSD and SBTA end second labor negotiation meeting Wednesday

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. – The Santa Barbara Unified School District (SBUSD) and the Santa Barbara Teacher's Association (SBTA) continued working through a January impasse based on wage disputes and special education conditions Wednesday.

Both parties met a second time on Wednesday after their previous meeting last month also left them without an agreement on the issues at hand.

The mediator between the two groups released them from the process after an eight-hour negotiation period and informed them of the next process of fact-finding.

Fact-finding involves both groups submitting evidence to a panel for recommendations on how to proceed next. One neutral person, one from the SBUSD and one from the SBTA will be part of the panel.

The panel will meet 10 days after their appointment for a hearing and issue a fact report within a month of the appointment.

It may take several months for the fact-finding process to end with countless variables including timeline extensions or other negotiation agreements.

Two options will be available for the parties after the fact-finding report is submitted and those are either a second impasse or progress toward a settlement.

This can lead to either a legally required negotiation period for the best possible conditions from the SBUSD to the SBTA or a lawful strike for the SBTA.

For more updates on the contract negotiation period, visit the SBUSD website.