DUBLIN, Calif. — Cheers, blaring trumpets and car horns echoed through the desolate grounds of Dublin High School, which sat empty on yet another school day last month. From the picket line, English teacher Catie Tombs stared through a black fence at her classroom.

“There’s literally anywhere I would rather be than striking,” Tombs said. “But as a teacher, this strike is about one particular thing: our young people.”

Tombs had joined some 700 teachers on strike in early-March throughout the Dublin Unified School District. Facing up to $9.2 million in budget deficits, the district’s proposed cuts spurred educators to head to the picket lines on March 9.

Led by the Dublin Teachers Association (DTA), educators called for smaller class sizes, better classroom support, and cost of living salary increases — demands that DUSD finally conceded to on March 12, ending the four-day strike that had paralyzed the district.

The core of the teachers’ demands centered on smaller class sizes. Although it’s recommended by the California Teachers Association that teachers do not teach more than 100 students per day, Dublin teachers were expected to teach, on average, a total of 150 students.

For Emerald High School teacher Jaime Roberts, the pressure had reached a breaking point.

“I was told that classes could accommodate 32 students,” explained Roberts, a math teacher. “But we’re cramming 36 to 38 students in there. Some of us teach 100 to 170 students every day, [and] it’s hard to give them the one-on-one support they need.”

Teachers in the district are compensated with a bonus for each “extra” student they teach past 32 students. However, the teacher association’s efforts to raise pay and lower class sizes have clashed with DUSD’s attempts at balancing their budget.

“Difficult budget conditions—driven by declining enrollment, rising costs, and significant reductions already made in recent years—require careful planning to ensure programs and positions can be sustained over time,” explained the district’s assistant superintendent, Dr. Matt Campbell, in an email to The Inquirer.

“Any changes to class size must be implemented in a way that is financially sustainable over time.”

Wages were another major issue at stake. In the increasingly unaffordable Bay Area, teacher salaries barely cover the high cost of living. To accommodate this, teachers said they expect annual raises to meet the rising cost of living.

However, for two years, Dublin teachers saw no such increases.

“It’s really been hurting me,” explained Kara Burrell, a teacher at Kolb Elementary School. “My electricity bill is $1,000 a month. Just getting a cost of living allowance would help that — it’s not a lot to ask for.”

On March 12, DTA secured key victories to end the strike. Although teachers originally campaigned for a 3.5 percent salary increase, DTA agreed to a compromise 2.3 percent pay raise. DUSD additionally agreed to increase teachers’ healthcare coverage and reduce class sizes for all schools.

Likewise, DTA fought off an attempt to eliminate counselors for Dublin’s eight elementary schools — a move teachers claimed would have been devastating.

“We’ve already been without a counselor for months now,” said Burrell, who has taught at DUSD for nearly 30 years.

“Our kids are already feeling it, especially the ones that need it the most. I have two students who need that extra one-to-one attention — they’re already begging to go and talk to [their counselor],” she added.

“If you get rid of counselors, they’re going to miss that.”

Elsewhere, teachers like Dee Michetti at Fallon Middle School rallied for more support in DUSD’s special education programs.

“It hurts my heart when I can’t take care of my families and be an advocate for my students,” said Michetti, who teaches special ed.

“I never saw myself striking… but we’re looking for student-centered change.”

Michetti said she went on strike to advocate for reduced caseloads and better support for DUSD’s inclusion program, which integrates special needs students into general classrooms.

“It’s disheartening,” added Michetti. “As a special education teacher, you come in with a more special heart to take care of your students. But often, we can’t effectively manage our caseloads and deliver the services that students need.”

After five days on the picket lines, teachers returned to their classrooms on March 16 — a move teachers like Tombs were glad to make.

“I’m ready to go back to work,” said Tombs. “We tried to avert [the strike] but that didn’t work. So now we’re out to make sure it’s worth it for students more than anything.”

“The most important thing is that we work for our students’ future.”