Manassas School Board Votes Against Collective Bargaining Proposal

The Manassas City School Board has voted 5-2 against allowing collective bargaining for its employees, following a lengthy presentation and passionate discussion during its April 8, 2025, meeting. The decision came after board members weighed financial considerations and community feedback, including from Manassas City Councilwoman Sonia Vazquez Luna, a union leader who voiced her support for the proposal.

The vote on Resolution R2025-03 was preceded by an in-depth presentation from Associate Superintendent John Gefeller, who outlined the fiscal and operational implications of adopting collective bargaining. Gefeller explained that if approved, the school division would need to add six full-time positions, including a chief negotiating officer, chief legal officer, labor relations coordinator, labor specialist, budget analyst/payroll specialist, and administrative assistant.

The estimated cost of these positions, salaries, and benefits would exceed $1 million annually. Additionally, legal costs associated with negotiating a collective bargaining agreement could range from $256,100 to over $993,000, depending on whether the process takes two or four years—durations seen in nearby school divisions.

“Our division has no experience with collective bargaining,” said Gefeller. “We do not have the infrastructure in place to assume responsibility for the collective bargaining process with our current staffing.”

During the discussion, board member Dayna-Marie Miles asked what the school system could afford in lieu of collective bargaining. Gefeller responded that a 3% cost-of-living adjustment for teachers would cost $3.65 million, while the already-proposed 5.5% raise for Fiscal Year 2026 would cost $6.8 million.

Miles suggested that the school division could instead provide one-time bonuses of $2,000 for each of its 640 certified teachers (about $1.28 million) and $1,500 for each of its 535 non-certified staff members (about $802,500), totaling slightly more than $2 million. “Everyone has a pocketbook, but not everyone’s pocketbook is the same,” said Miles, who compared the division’s finances to a single mother of three trying to keep up with a single man with no kids.

Board Chair Suzanne Seaberg, Vice Chair Jill Spall, and members Dayna-Marie Miles, Dr. Zella Jones, and Sara Brescia voted in favor of the resolution, opposing collective bargaining. Board members Lisa Stevens and Diana Brown voted against the resolution.

Councilwoman Sonia Vazquez Luna, who serves as Business Manager for LIUNA Public Service Employees Local 572, spoke during public comment in support of collective bargaining. “This is a matter of respect and fairness,” she said. “Our school staff deserves a voice at the table, just like every other profession that builds strong communities. I’m proud to support them—as both a City Council member and union representative.”

Vazquez Luna’s comments reflected the sentiments of other public speakers who urged the school board to support the resolution. Many expressed frustration that despite years of service and commitment, educators and support staff had limited power to advocate for better pay, working conditions, and benefits.

Opponents of collective bargaining also spoke. One parent questioned whether the proposal was fiscally responsible given the school division’s size and funding constraints. Another resident said she feared that adopting collective bargaining would slow down needed reforms in the school division and tie the hands of school leaders.

Board member Brescia said she supported the resolution to preserve flexibility in budgeting and protect services that benefit students. “There are only three states in the union that allow collective bargaining without giving local school boards the power to raise taxes—Virginia, West Virginia, and Maryland,” she said. “This isn’t sustainable.”

Board member Brown, herself a longtime union member, acknowledged the value of union support and representation but ultimately voted against the resolution. “This vote does not mean I oppose collective bargaining in principle,” she said. “But I cannot support it right now given the financial strain it would place on our schools.”

In response to staff feedback, school leaders said they will implement a new “meet and confer” process starting in September. This structured process will allow representatives from each school and employee association to raise concerns, suggest changes, and receive formal responses from the division. Four meetings are planned for the 2025-26 school year.

While the board’s decision effectively halts any immediate progress toward a collective bargaining agreement, the conversation is likely to continue. Several board members said they remained open to the idea in the future—if adequate funding and infrastructure could be secured.

In March 2024, the neighboring Prince William County Public Schools, which is 13 times the size of Manassas schools, ratified its first Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) with the Prince William Education Association (PWEA). This three-year agreement, effective from July 1, 2024, to June 30, 2027, encompasses certified/licensed personnel and classified employees, excluding those not defined as employees in the resolution. The CBA addresses topics such as association and board rights and responsibilities, grievance procedures, and provisions related to salaries, stipends, and benefits.

Prior to this agreement, in December 2022, the School Board adopted a resolution permitting collective bargaining for its employees. This decision followed the 2020 Virginia General Assembly’s legislation that granted school divisions the option to allow collective bargaining, effective May 1, 2021.

Manassas City Public Schools serves 8,000 students in seven schools: five elementary schools, one middle school, and one high school.