W e e k l y RIALTO RECORD
Vol 24, NO. 30
March 05, 2026
Rialto Teachers, Staff Demand Raises, Citing $204M Reserve; Urge Parents to Pack March 11 Meeting
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Fontana Unified Middle School Student Selected as Black History Month Parade Grand Marshal Pg. 4
PHOTO REA Teachers and classified staff rally outside the Rialto Unified School District office in February 2026, calling for raises and urging the community to support their contract negotiations.
By Manny Sandoval
ly a year of contract negotiations.
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Tobin Brinker, president of the Rialto Education Association, said negotiations with the district have lasted about 11 months and remain stalled over pay.
wo unions representing employees in the Rialto Unified School District say the district is sitting on more than $200 million in reserves while holding firm on a 3% raise offer they argue is worsening staffing shortages, increasing workloads and disrupting student learning. Leaders of the Rialto Education Association and California School Employees Association Chapter 203 spoke with Inland Empire Community News on March 2, outlining their concerns after near-
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PHOTO REA Teachers and classified employees rally outside the Rialto Unified School District office, saying educators’ working conditions are students’ learning conditions.
“We have been negotiating with the school district for our contract for almost a year now,” Brinker said. “Since we first sunshined our proposals, the district has drawn a hard line at a 3% salary increase. We believe teachers should be paid 5%.” Brinker said the union tracks 33 comparable school districts across San Bernardino
and Riverside counties and estimates Rialto teachers are about 2.7% below the regional average settlement over the past decade. He said inflation and delayed raises have made the gap more noticeable for educators already struggling with the cost of living. “When inflation went up a few years ago, the state put a whole bunch of money into schools to help attract and retain teachers,” Brinker said. “Salaries were already low, and when inflation hit, it really devastated a lot of folks in our profession.” RUSD Raises cont. on next pg.
Rialto High Knights Capture CIF-Southern Section Division 7 Championship with 57–31 Win
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San Bernardino County’s First Diverging Diamond Interchange Opens Near CSUSB Pg. 5
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PHOTO MANNY SANDOVAL The Knights are champions again! The Rialto High School boys basketball team celebrates after defeating Salesian 57–31 to capture the CIF-Southern Section Division 7 championship on February 28 at Azusa Pacific University. Lionel Madrid led the offensive charge with 15 points, including three 3-pointers, while Wayne Johnson added 14 points to secure the title. Throughout their historic five-game playoff run — which included victories over Schurr, Segerstrom, Rosemead, and Rowland — the Knights dominated on both ends of the floor, outscoring opponents by an average of 17.2 points per game and stifling offenses to just 42.2 points per game. The championship continues a recent run of success in athletics for the Knights. The girls' basketball team, girls' volleyball team, and cheer team have all claimed titles in recent years. Pictured with the team are Principal Dr. Caroline Sweeney, Athletic Director Troy Holland, and head coach Dante Rouzan.