Union, district defer decision on outsourcing protections while state bill moves through Albany

The bargaining table raised a longstanding union concern over protections against outsourcing ITA work and related policies on artificial intelligence on June 12, agreeing to await the outcome of a state legislative bill expected to be considered in the coming days.

Why it matters: if a state law is enacted it could pre‑empt or shape local contract language and district policy on outsourcing and use of AI in schools.

The union presented Proposal 56, unchanged since the prior meeting; negotiators said the language had been adjusted earlier to reflect a bill under consideration at the state level that would extend worker protections. The union reported the state bill should move to the general assembly agenda in the next day or two and that state legislative session was scheduled to end June 14; both sides agreed to wait for state action and revisit local negotiations only if the bill failed to pass before session adjournment.

District leadership said the board plans to develop a districtwide policy on AI because AI issues may affect a wide range of employees and services beyond the bargaining unit and that policy discussion would likely begin in the board’s policy committee with public comment opportunities.

Ending: Parties agreed to delay a contract decision on proposal 56 until the state legislative process progressed; if the Legislature did not act, negotiators said they would return to the table on the contract language.