State Superintendent Tony Thurmond Calls All Parties to Negotiate to Avoid Strike at Sacramento City Unified

SACRAMENTO—State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond is working quickly to avoid a potential teachers’ strike at the Sacramento City Unified School District (SCUSD) and to help the district identify ways to reduce expenses in order to avoid state receivership.

Thurmond has called all parties to the table to find a resolution, including the Sacramento City Unified Superintendent, Sacramento County Superintendent, Sacramento City Teachers Association (SCTA), and the Fiscal Crisis and Management Assistance Team (FCMAT).

“The timing for the request from SCTA aligns with what I am already working on, which is getting all of the necessary and major players to the same negotiating table,” said Thurmond. “The call has been put out. All of these entities have agreed to be in the same room. We need them to come together to find a resolution so we can avoid another strike and identify ways that they can avoid a state receivership.”

Currently, the SCUSD is in a severe fiscal deficit and is facing the prospect of entering a state receivership, as well as a second one-day strike. The district will be releasing their third-quarter interim budget this Thursday. “We look forward to seeing that update as it will be the most current snapshot of the financial status of the district to help us make informed decisions,” said Thurmond.

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Tony Thurmond — State Superintendent of Public Instruction
Communications Division, Room 5602, 916-319-0818, Fax 916-319-0100