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The San Ramon Valley school district and its largest union have reached a tentative agreement that gives teachers and other employees a 4% raise.
“We are extremely fortunate to have an incredible teaching staff in our district, and the new agreement will help us to remain competitive in recruiting and retaining great teachers,” Superintendent Mary Shelton said in a statement.
The district’s Board of Education unanimously approved the deal during its regular meeting Tuesday evening in Danville. San Ramon Valley Education Association representatives voted 55-1 to ratify the agreement on Monday.
“Our members are so grateful for the recognition that this increase in salary symbolizes,” SRVEA president Ann Katzburg told the school board. “As a result of what’s occurred at the table this year … our bargaining team feels that the district is sincerely listening.”
The tentative agreement calls for a 4% increase to the salary scale — retroactive to Jan. 1 — for all members of the union, which represents approximately 1,650 teachers, counselors, nurses, psychologists, librarians and speech pathologists.
The compensation increases will cost the district about $2.35 million this fiscal year, according to district officials.
“The last time we were able to provide an increase on the salary schedule was 2007-08. It has been a long drought for our employees who work hard every day on behalf of the children in this district,” Shelton added.
SRVEA members received a one-time bonus worth 4% of their pay as part of contract negotiations last June.
District officials also continue to confer with union negotiators for the three bargaining units representing classified employees, “and the district is confident that a timely agreement will be reached,” according to district spokesman Terry Koehne.
