San Ramon Valley Teachers Reach Tentative Agreement With District
SAN RAMON (CBS SF) -- Teachers with the San Ramon Valley Education Association reached a tentative contract agreement with San Ramon Valley Unified School District on Friday, averting a strike that had been planned for April.
The school district and the SRVEA released a joint statement Friday afternoon announcing the tentative agreement. The new contract will next need to be ratified by members of the San Ramon Valley Education Association.
"Students are at the forefront of everything we do, and today our community can stand together with pride in the settlement both teams have negotiated. I am appreciative of our members for the solidarity they displayed throughout this process," said SRVEA President Ann Katzburg in the released statement.
"I am grateful to the Board of Education and both bargaining teams for the hours of collaboration that went into developing an agreement that improves the learning environment for our students and the working conditions of our educators," said SRVUSD Superintendent Rick Schmitt.
Highlights of the tentative agreement listed in the announcement include:
- A 4 percent ongoing base salary increase
- A .18 percent increase to the Retired Employees Health Benefit Plan and Trust
- Extended work year and revised salary schedule for school nurses
- Lower student to staff ratios for counselors, nurses and teacher librarians
- Extended work year and new salary schedule for speech language pathologists
- Increased stipends for teachers who support new teachers
- Extended preparation time for elementary teachers
- New contract language for reduced 4th and 5th grade elementary staffing ratios and secondary daily student contacts
- Caps on class sizes and caseloads, including special day classes and secondary caseloads
SRVEA will present the tentative agreement to its members for ratification at a general membership meeting on Monday. Per the SRVEA's bylaws, voting will take place from Tuesday, March 12, through Thursday, March 14.
The teachers' contract was set to expire at the end of June. Teacher were asking for a five percent raise and class size reductions. Earlier this week, the SRVEA said the district and unions had signed 11 different tentative agreements, but had not yet reached a deal due to issues over class-size negotiations.
With that issue now resolved, it appears the San Ramon Valley Unified School District will manage to avoid a teachers strike like the ones that disrupted classes in Oakland last month.
The board of education could ratify the agreement on March 26. If the board ratifies the agreement, teachers will get their retroactive salaries for the 2018-19 school year.
