CSEA Updates

The District is providing this update to keep staff and the community informed on the status of negotiations between Orange Unified School District and the California School Employees Association, Chapter 67 (CSEA). This update reflects the current status of bargaining and the tentative agreements reached to date.

Status of Negotiations

The District and CSEA have been engaged in negotiations for the 2025-2028 successor agreement, along with the 2025-2026 reopener articles, since March 2026. The parties have held 19 bargaining sessions between March 4, 2026 and August 26, 2026, and have exchanged proposals on articles 67 times (33 by the District and 34 by CSEA).

Of the 16 articles under negotiation, the parties have reached tentative agreement (TA) on the following:

• Ground Rules
• Article 1 – Recognition
• Article 9 – Holidays
• Article 10 – Transfers and Promotions
• Article 11 – Evaluation

The following 7 articles remain in active negotiation, with proposals having been exchanged between the parties at the table:

• Article 2 – Union Rights
• Article 3 – District Rights
• Article 5 – Hours and Overtime
• Article 6 – Leaves
• Article 7 – Safety Conditions
• Article 13 – Transportation
• Article 15 – Miscellaneous Provisions

No proposal has yet been passed by either party on Article 12, Compensation, or Article 14, Layoff Procedures and Seniority. Article 18, Charter Schools, has been withdrawn from negotiations.

On August 7, 2026, CSEA passed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) proposing to settle and close only Article 12 (Compensation) for the 2025–2026 school year. In response, the District presented CSEA on August 13, 2026, with a comprehensive tentative agreement that would have concluded the 2025–2028 successor negotiations. This counterproposal incorporated tentative agreements on Articles 1, 9, 10, and 12, while holding Articles 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 13, and 15 in abeyance for reopener negotiations in 2026–2027.

Continued Commitment to Bargaining in Good Faith

The District remains committed to good faith negotiations with CSEA and looks forward to continuing discussions on the remaining open articles. The District will continue to provide factual updates on the status of negotiations as they progress.

The District has future negotiation dates scheduled for September 10 and 25; October 8 and 9; and November 5 and 12, 2026.

Questions about this update may be directed to the Human Resources Department.

The Orange Unified School District (OUSD) remains fully committed to the ongoing bargaining process with CSEA Chapter 67. To date, the District and Union teams have met for a total of 10 days, with our next session scheduled for June 29. As this is a successor year, the entire contract is open for negotiation, resulting in a total of 16 open articles. The majority of members on both negotiation teams are new, and the parties have established collaborative bargaining norms.

The CSEA collective bargaining agreement was first established in or around 1976 and has developed and evolved over nearly five decades of negotiations. Unlike reopener negotiations, where the process is limited to a small number of contract articles, a successor year provides the opportunity for comprehensive updates to contract language while recognizing the bargaining history between the parties. We appreciate the continued patience of our staff as we work diligently toward a fair and sustainable agreement that honors our history while building a solid foundation for the coming years.

(message was bundled with OUEA Update on 5/26/26)