By Ali Tadayon | EdSource Weeks ahead of a potential strike, West Contra Costa Unified and its teachers union, the United Teachers of Richmond, have struck a tentative contract agreement that gives…
Weeks ahead of a potential strike, West Contra Costa Unified and its teachers union, the United Teachers of Richmond, have struck a tentative contract agreement that gives raises this year and next to teachers and school staff without the district having to lay people off.The tentative agreement follows months of negotiations and comes just days before a fact-finding hearing was scheduled — the last step before the union could legally strike.
The raises under the tentative agreement don’t align with inflation, Zabala said, and fall behind the raises in the union’s original proposal, but given the district’s projected deficit of $26.9 million, he believes it’s the best the district can do right now. “Educators deserve better, but we do believe this is the limit for what can be expected for compensation at this time due to the district’s circumstances,” Zabala said.Days before the deal was reached, the Contra Costa County Office of Education issued a stark warning letter to the district that without budget cuts and adjustments, it won’t be able to afford the raises.
West Contra Costa Unified school board President Demetrio Gonzalez said that the County Office of Education was “in touch” with the district during negotiations and gave the district permission to offer the settlement package. The school board must still approve a budget revision plan, but the plan in the works avoids cuts to staff for the next two years.
However, the district may have to cut staff positions in the third year, 2024-25, Gonzalez said. He hopes the district will be able to find other areas of the budget to slash before having to lay off teachers or cut vacant positions.The tentative agreement also honors the union’s call for protections around community schools to be included in the contract, with some variances from the original proposal, Zabala said.
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