WATSONVILLE — After 17 months of tense negotiations, Pajaro Valley Unified School District has come to a tentative contract agreement with its teachers’ union.
The proposal gives teachers a 7 percent raise over three years.
Still subject to ratification by the teachers, the agreement would give teachers a 7 percent raise over three years.
If they approve it, the item will go to the PVUSD Board of Trustees for approval at the May 23 meeting.
The multi-year agreement includes the 2016-17, 2017-18 and 2018-19 school years.
District officials attributed the agreement to a positive budget outlook from Gov. Jerry Brown, which predicts a $9 billion budget surplus and provides an estimated $78.4 billion for education in 2018-19.
In the proposal, the teachers scored a win with a 1 percent raise retroactively applied to the 2016-17 school year.
Teachers who worked that year would also get a 2 percent one-time payment for that year.
Teachers would also get a 2 percent raise retroactive to the 2017-18 school year.
Early childhood and adult school teachers will receive a 6 percent raise retroactive to July 1, 2017.
The proposal also includes a $1,612 stipend for bilingual teachers.
The agreement comes with some changes to teachers’ health plans.
This includes raising the costs of generic prescription drugs from $3 to $5, and non-generic drugs from $15 to $20. Copays will increase from $10 to $20.
For the 2018-19 school year, teachers would receive a 4 percent raise, effective on July 1.
The district also agreed to pay a $2,500 signing bonus for new math, science and special education teachers hired through 2020.
Teachers will work two additional days every year.
Also as part of the proposal, the union will participate in a district-wide Health and Welfare Benefits Committee, which will make recommendations to potential changes in teachers’ health insurance plans.
Any proposed changes must be made by March 15, and are subject to negotiation.
PVUSD Superintendent Michelle Rodriguez said that the district, “remains committed to our teachers and values the impact they have on our students every day.”
“Through mutual collaboration and both sides’ willingness to consider a 3-year contract, we were able to meet the objectives of valuing our teachers through an improved compensation offer and maintaining fiscal solvency, which allows us to maintain our focus on students, the district’s top priority,” Rodriguez said.
PVUSD Board of Trustees President Leslie De Rose praised the efforts of the negotiators.
“We owe a great deal of thanks to our district leadership team for their diligent work in bringing negotiations to a close,” she said. “Our teachers are deserving of the best compensation package we can afford, and we have accomplished that.”
Pajaro Valley Federation of Teachers Chief Negotiator Nelly Vaquera-Boggs attributed the agreement to the teachers, parents and other community members who urged the PVUSD Board of Trustees to consider teacher raises at several meetings during negotiations.
“Our gratitude towards the families, and other local unions, who stood with us at rallies and spoke to the
board is endless,” she said “Our students are the ones we truly rally for, because support for an educator is support for our students.”
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PVUSD teachers will vote to ratify or deny the contract on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday at Aptos and Pajaro Valley high schools from 2 until 4 p.m. Teachers may also drop ballots off at the PVFT office at 734 East Lake Ave., Ste. 14 in Watsonville.
