by Andrew Alonzo | aalonzo@claremont-courier.com

Claremont Unified School District’s Board of Education heard an update on Claremont Faculty Association’s ongoing negotiations for a 1% pay raise at its August 21 meeting.

The board also voted 5-0 to approve the first resolution of the new school year, to use state funds to install new kitchen sinks at Chaparral, Mountain View, Oakmont, and Sumner Danbury elementary schools.

Union talks resume

Claremont Faculty Association began advocating last school year for a 1% pay raise and other benefits, including compensation for overages, preparation periods for transitional kindergarten and other teaching levels, citing cost of living increases, inflation, and excessive workloads as justification. Negotiations resumed August 19.

“I can tell you that we’ve made progress,” CFA President Brian D’Ambrosia-Donner wrote in a text. “We have a ratification meeting for our tentative agreement with the District next week, followed by a vote of the membership. I’ve been asked [by CFA] to wait for our process to be completed before sharing details, but you know what we were asking for.”

CUSD spokesperson Elaine Kong said the school district does not comment on negotiations with its employee association partners.

“I also want to shout out to all the effort that went into negotiations, which happened on the 19th,” D’Ambrosia-Donner said at the board meeting. “Rick [Lopez, CUSD assistant superintendent, human resources] and the negotiating team for the district and our team [are] working together to find a reasonable way, to … get an agreement. And it’s a lot of hard work to get there, so, thank you for that.”

Kitchen sinks

The board approved resolution 01-2026, authorizing the use of $384,301 in state allocated kitchen infrastructure and training funds to install new sinks at Chaparral, Mountain View, Oakmont, and Sumner Danbury elementary schools.

Kong said CUSD was advised by the California Department of Public Health to update its sinks.

“The existing sinks are older models that do not have separate compartments, which is now required for current health and safety standards,” Kong wrote in an email. “While the sinks have been identified for updates, the district has not received any fines or penalties related to this issue. We are taking immediate action to address the recommendation and ensure our facilities meet the latest standards.” The work “is expected to enhance food preparation areas at these sites.”

Assistant Superintendent, Business Services Desiree Reyes said it will be a “big construction project.”

“We’re going from a single compartment to a multi-compartment sink,” Reyes said. “We need an additional handwashing station, and the additional flow of water is also creating a need for additional water heaters that are going to support the heat that’s required to support that. In addition to that there’s construction to put in new floor sinks, which requires plumbing.”

Construction is set to begin in September.

“In the meantime, meals will continue to be provided to students every day,” Kong wrote. “Food will be prepared both at the district’s Central Kitchen and in the school site kitchens, but all items must be individually wrapped before being served. Our Nutrition Services team is working hard to make the transition seamless so students will not notice a difference between the meals served last year and those served at the start of the school year.”

The next CUSD Board of Education meeting begins at 6 p.m. Thursday, September 4 at 170 W. San Jose Ave., Claremont.