Ross Valley School District, teachers settle 2023-24 contract
After weeks of talks, the Ross Valley School District has approved a contract with its teachers union for the current school year.
Trustees voted unanimously Wednesday in favor of the one-year agreement, which is retroactive to July 1.
The pact, which was ratified last month by the Ross Valley Teachers Association, calls for a 3.85% increase covering both salaries and health benefits. That includes a pay increase of $2,000 per union member, a $500 off-schedule one-time bonus and 100% of health and dental insurance premiums paid by the district for the union members only.
The cost of the settlement is $471,756, of which $65,473 is a one-time cost.
The teachers had originally demanded an increase of more than 10% in pay and benefits. However, after declaring an impasse earlier this year, the union and the district came to a tentative agreement on the lower amount during state mediation talks last month.
“Members are not happy about the low salary increase,” union president Karen Tesitor said in an email. She noted, however, that the pact does include some benefits, such as the removal of six steps from the salary schedule, allowing teachers who stay in the job to reach the highest pay level faster.
“The removal of the six steps benefits about 85% of members, with members at step 8 or earlier seeing the greatest lifetime earning potential gains,” Tesitor said.
District officials and board members said they wished they could do more.
“While we have come to a settlement agreement with the teacher’s union, I don’t think that any of us are truly satisfied with the outcome,” board president Rachel Litwack said in an email. “As a board and district, we are actively seeking ways to increase revenues and examine cuts to be made.”
District officials said they are constrained by state and county rules that they maintain no less than 3% in budget reserves for three years out. If they had promised a higher pay increase, they would violate those rules and their positive budget status would be in jeopardy, officials said.
Citing a $1 million structural deficit, trustees have hired a consultant to advise on a potential supplemental parcel tax measure to increase revenues. The district has also formed a budget advisory committee to discuss ways to cut spending.
“I agree with you — we agree with you,” trustee Ryan O’Neil told teachers at Wednesday’s meeting, “You are not being paid in accordance with a living wage for all the hard work you do.”
“Next cycle, we want to take some out-of-the-box thinking and remove the us-versus-them strategy,” O’Neil added.
O’Neil’s comments came after several teachers said they were demoralized by the low settlement.
“This raise feels like a defeat,” said teacher Anna Schnell. “I’m now at the top of the pay scale, but it is the second lowest pay at that level in the county.”
Some said they only reluctantly voted to ratify the settlement in order to be able to move on and prepare for new negotiations for the 2024-25 school year.
With the increase, the lowest entry-level Ross Valley teacher’s salary is $63,288 annually. The highest pay, with extra education and seniority, is $115,738.
The updated salary schedule is online at shorturl.at/avxDZ.
The first 2024-25 contract negotiation session between the union and the district is set for May 23. The first meeting of the budget advisory committee is Monday.