​​SAN JOSE, CA – The Santa Clara County Office of Education and the Santa Clara County Board of Education acknowledge the comments made during the May 6 meeting of the Santa Clara County Board of Education, including statements by the Santa Clara County teachers union regarding a potential work stoppage and a request to sign a petition for a vote of no confidence in County Superintendent of Schools Dr. David M. Toston Sr..

“While we respect the rights of our employees to express their views, the Board remains focused on its core responsibilities,” said Jessica Speiser, Vice President of the Santa Clara County Board of Education. “Our priorities remain grounded in our vision​ and commitment to ensuring that each and every child, cradle-to-career, is seen, supported, inspired, and given the ability to exceed the hopes and dreams of their respective communities and doing so in a fiscally responsible manner in partnership with our staff and community."

Although SCCOE has not received any official notice of a strike, the agency has been actively engaged in planning to ensure continuity of services.

“While there has been no formal notice of a strike, SCCOE has plans in place to ensure students continue to be supported should a strike occur,” said Dr. David M. Toston Sr., County Superintendent of Schools. “That planning has included connecting with all of our partner school districts so they are aware of potential impacts and the steps being taken to maintain services for students should a work stoppage occur.”

Superintendent Toston noted that the public actions taken by the union are closely tied to ongoing labor negotiations.

“We believe the request to sign a petition for a vote of no confidence is connected to the current contract negotiations,” he said. “The Association of County Educators (ACE) is requesting a 16 percent salary increase, a proposal that is not fiscally responsible and would create significant cost pressures across the system.”  

SCCOE officials emphasized that the County Office already provides among the most competitive teacher compensation in California.

SCCOE is the highest‑paying county office of education in California for teachers.  It is important to understand that SCCOE programs operate on a fee‑for‑service model. Any additional compensation costs are passed directly through to participating districts. Some of our partner districts simply do not have the financial capacity to absorb substantial cost increases without impacting their own programs and students.

Current average total compensation (salary, benefits, and retirement) is as follows:

SCCOE has consistently participated in the collective bargaining process required by law, remaining at the table throughout negotiations, engaging in mediation, and continuing to work toward an agreement that is fair, fiscally sustainable, and aligned with the County Office’s responsibility to students, employees, and the school districts it serves. 

Despite the collective best efforts of the negotiations team, we have not achieved our shared goal of a fair, fiscally sustainable agreement that aligns with the County Office’s responsibility to students, employees, and the school districts it serves. 

To achieve clarity and inform current and future negotiations, SCCOE has filed for fact‑finding to bring a neutral third party into the process to understand fiscal resources, the impact of increases, and help the parties move forward constructively.

The Santa Clara County Office of Education remains committed to transparency and has shared information regarding negotiations, compensation history, and fiscal impacts. The most recent negotiation updates are available on the SCCOE/ACE-CTA webpage​.​​