Hold Brentwood School accountable to its workers
Hold Brentwood School accountable to its workers
The Issue
Dear Eagles,
Too Long; Didn't Read? Skim for the bolded text!
You may have heard about the Brentwood School Workers’ Union. If you have not, allow us to reintroduce ourselves as BWS Workers United. We are a coalition of workers committed to holding Brentwood School accountable to its Core Values, especially towards its hardest-working, lowest-paid employees.
Today, we are focusing on Public Safety. Public Safety is not only critical to Brentwood School’s ability to function but also a foundational part of its community.
- Public Safety workers protect the Brentwood School community as members of it. Public Safety greets us as we enter campus and sends us off when we leave, ensuring an orderly flow of people and vehicles throughout the day. They know everyone’s faces, building relationships with the students and parents they protect.
- Public Safety is a keystone in the relationship between Brentwood School and the VA. Brentwood School shares a border with the West Los Angeles VA campus and our athletic facilities are built on leased land. Public Safety ensures the safety of both students and veterans in this relationship, up to and including the rare instance a veteran approached campus carrying a gun. Public Safety was immediately on the scene and successfully deescalated the situation.
- Public Safety workers protect Brentwood School in all kinds of emergencies. During the Palisades fire last year, Public Safety were the last people on campus, stomping out embers without a shred of protective gear, air thick with smoke. While students, faculty, staff, and administration were free to prepare to evacuate or remain safely at home for two weeks, Public Safety kept watch over both campuses, reporting to work well inside the evacuation warning zone and with no access to power the entire time. Crucially, they have never received any acknowledgement from the school administration for their role.
- Even on a mundane night shift, Public Safety protects the school. They pick up nails and screws. They remove tripping hazards. They discover major water leaks that if left unchecked would cause serious damage, alert maintenance, and stay until they are fixed. In one memorable instance, Dr. Mike Riera witnessed former director Bernardo Arabalo use his body to prevent a major spill on the gym’s hardwood floor.
In the words of one Public Safety employee: “Why do we do these things? It’s because we respect the institution and as employees of Brentwood feel it is our duty to protect the school and all who enter.”
Why is BWS Workers United concerned about Public Safety, and why now?
During the CAIS accreditation process, one major recommendation was to “right-size” Brentwood’s operations. On February 19th, in response to this recommendation, Dr. Cottrell sent an email announcing that non-faculty contracts would be issued on March 6th. Public Safety was informed that their contracts would be withheld separately from the rest of non-faculty, pending the results of an external audit.
The audit of Public Safety was completed by April 24th, but for weeks afterwards, Dr. Cottrell and Brentwood School’s administration refused to clarify the status of Public Safety’s contracts, or even share the results of the audit with the staff under review. During that time, BWS administration found the time to lay off the entire Events team and renew other Advancement contracts. Meanwhile, Public Safety were understaffed, doing their level best to maintain services for both Brentwood School and veterans throughout the busiest months of the year, all while wondering whether it might be their final year at Brentwood.
There were other ominous signs - a job listing for an Executive Director appeared on Indeed but nowhere on Brentwood’s own Careers page, listing out a new structure for the Events Department. Public Safety witnessed Ken touring a rep from Allied Universal, Custodial Division around the East Campus. All the new Public Safety hires this year had been sourced from UGS, a third-party contractor.
Then, this past Wednesday (May 27th), Brentwood School’s Statement of Position, submitted to the National Labor Relations Board and signed by Dr. Cottrell, revealed that in fact, there was no intention to renew Public Safety’s contracts. Instead, they are to be replaced entirely with contractors.
After months of stringing along, of hemming and hawing, this a slap in the face to many years of faithful service.
We all know it’s tough out there right now. Brentwood is about to sacrifice some of the lowest paid members of its community. And it will not stop with Public Safety. Maintenance and Facilities are obvious next steps. These are our coworkers who commute the farthest and work the worst hours of tiring physical labor for the worst pay. Brentwood School’s Statement of Position valued the money saved by letting go of three Events Managers, one Advancement Coordinator, and one Information Systems Analyst at $598,000 annually. These five individuals cost less than the entire salary of former Head of School Dr. Mike Riera, who in FY 2024 was paid $641,809 plus $65,467 in non-W-2 income (Brentwood School Form 990). It does not seem unreasonable to assume that Dr. Cottrell is paid similarly.
To put in perspective, the typical hourly rate ($24.00) for Public Safety employees comes out to only $45,000 annually. For 13 employees, that is $585,000. We believe this a small price to pay for putting their bodies and lives on the line for Brentwood School.
We call on Brentwood School to live by its core values: trust, respect, responsibility, honesty, caring, diversity, and community. Give our Public Safety coworkers the send-off they deserve - open and honest negotiation without retaliation, and a generous severance package that honors the countless hours of labor and 85 years of service they have given to Brentwood School. Or better yet, don’t replace them with contractors who have no investment in the school, its students, or its safety, and will never get the chance to develop any.
We call on you, the reader, to stand in solidarity with Public Safety. Sign our petition, or tell us about a time Public Safety had a positive impact on your Brentwood School experience. Show Brentwood School’s administration that they are undervaluing Public Safety, because they are.
🦅 Eagles Strong! 🦅
Brentwood School Workers United
12
The Issue
Dear Eagles,
Too Long; Didn't Read? Skim for the bolded text!
You may have heard about the Brentwood School Workers’ Union. If you have not, allow us to reintroduce ourselves as BWS Workers United. We are a coalition of workers committed to holding Brentwood School accountable to its Core Values, especially towards its hardest-working, lowest-paid employees.
Today, we are focusing on Public Safety. Public Safety is not only critical to Brentwood School’s ability to function but also a foundational part of its community.
- Public Safety workers protect the Brentwood School community as members of it. Public Safety greets us as we enter campus and sends us off when we leave, ensuring an orderly flow of people and vehicles throughout the day. They know everyone’s faces, building relationships with the students and parents they protect.
- Public Safety is a keystone in the relationship between Brentwood School and the VA. Brentwood School shares a border with the West Los Angeles VA campus and our athletic facilities are built on leased land. Public Safety ensures the safety of both students and veterans in this relationship, up to and including the rare instance a veteran approached campus carrying a gun. Public Safety was immediately on the scene and successfully deescalated the situation.
- Public Safety workers protect Brentwood School in all kinds of emergencies. During the Palisades fire last year, Public Safety were the last people on campus, stomping out embers without a shred of protective gear, air thick with smoke. While students, faculty, staff, and administration were free to prepare to evacuate or remain safely at home for two weeks, Public Safety kept watch over both campuses, reporting to work well inside the evacuation warning zone and with no access to power the entire time. Crucially, they have never received any acknowledgement from the school administration for their role.
- Even on a mundane night shift, Public Safety protects the school. They pick up nails and screws. They remove tripping hazards. They discover major water leaks that if left unchecked would cause serious damage, alert maintenance, and stay until they are fixed. In one memorable instance, Dr. Mike Riera witnessed former director Bernardo Arabalo use his body to prevent a major spill on the gym’s hardwood floor.
In the words of one Public Safety employee: “Why do we do these things? It’s because we respect the institution and as employees of Brentwood feel it is our duty to protect the school and all who enter.”
Why is BWS Workers United concerned about Public Safety, and why now?
During the CAIS accreditation process, one major recommendation was to “right-size” Brentwood’s operations. On February 19th, in response to this recommendation, Dr. Cottrell sent an email announcing that non-faculty contracts would be issued on March 6th. Public Safety was informed that their contracts would be withheld separately from the rest of non-faculty, pending the results of an external audit.
The audit of Public Safety was completed by April 24th, but for weeks afterwards, Dr. Cottrell and Brentwood School’s administration refused to clarify the status of Public Safety’s contracts, or even share the results of the audit with the staff under review. During that time, BWS administration found the time to lay off the entire Events team and renew other Advancement contracts. Meanwhile, Public Safety were understaffed, doing their level best to maintain services for both Brentwood School and veterans throughout the busiest months of the year, all while wondering whether it might be their final year at Brentwood.
There were other ominous signs - a job listing for an Executive Director appeared on Indeed but nowhere on Brentwood’s own Careers page, listing out a new structure for the Events Department. Public Safety witnessed Ken touring a rep from Allied Universal, Custodial Division around the East Campus. All the new Public Safety hires this year had been sourced from UGS, a third-party contractor.
Then, this past Wednesday (May 27th), Brentwood School’s Statement of Position, submitted to the National Labor Relations Board and signed by Dr. Cottrell, revealed that in fact, there was no intention to renew Public Safety’s contracts. Instead, they are to be replaced entirely with contractors.
After months of stringing along, of hemming and hawing, this a slap in the face to many years of faithful service.
We all know it’s tough out there right now. Brentwood is about to sacrifice some of the lowest paid members of its community. And it will not stop with Public Safety. Maintenance and Facilities are obvious next steps. These are our coworkers who commute the farthest and work the worst hours of tiring physical labor for the worst pay. Brentwood School’s Statement of Position valued the money saved by letting go of three Events Managers, one Advancement Coordinator, and one Information Systems Analyst at $598,000 annually. These five individuals cost less than the entire salary of former Head of School Dr. Mike Riera, who in FY 2024 was paid $641,809 plus $65,467 in non-W-2 income (Brentwood School Form 990). It does not seem unreasonable to assume that Dr. Cottrell is paid similarly.
To put in perspective, the typical hourly rate ($24.00) for Public Safety employees comes out to only $45,000 annually. For 13 employees, that is $585,000. We believe this a small price to pay for putting their bodies and lives on the line for Brentwood School.
We call on Brentwood School to live by its core values: trust, respect, responsibility, honesty, caring, diversity, and community. Give our Public Safety coworkers the send-off they deserve - open and honest negotiation without retaliation, and a generous severance package that honors the countless hours of labor and 85 years of service they have given to Brentwood School. Or better yet, don’t replace them with contractors who have no investment in the school, its students, or its safety, and will never get the chance to develop any.
We call on you, the reader, to stand in solidarity with Public Safety. Sign our petition, or tell us about a time Public Safety had a positive impact on your Brentwood School experience. Show Brentwood School’s administration that they are undervaluing Public Safety, because they are.
🦅 Eagles Strong! 🦅
Brentwood School Workers United
12
The Decision Makers
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Petition created on May 29, 2026