Sacramento-area school district raises pay by 10% to keep just ahead of inflation
San Juan Unified teachers and staff are set to receive a 10% raise this school year in contracts designed to keep up with inflation.
On Tuesday, the district’s Board of Education approved the collective bargaining agreements proposed by the unions that represent faculty and staff.
The San Juan superintendent recommended approving the agreements, and both tentative contracts were ratified by 98% of union members. The raises will be retroactive to July 1, and Raj Rai, the district’s director of communication, said that workers will get a check for the difference no later than Dec. 22.
“This is a fair deal,” said Barry Roth, president of the San Juan Teachers Association. “Our members are happy.”
Gov. Gavin Newsom included significant funding increases for California schools in the recent state budget, amid teacher shortages, turnover and extreme burnout. As the San Juan Teachers Association pointed out during negotiations with the district, inflation is over 8% and housing prices in Sacramento County have shot up in the past several years.
As part of the agreement with teachers, the district will add roughly 15 new certificated positions, mostly among nursing staff and special education services.
While teachers will get an additional 1% raise next school year, members of the California School Employees Association — including, among others, people working in school security, food service, office jobs, school maintenance, operations and transportation — will get another 4.5% raise next school year.
“This salary increase will greatly assist our classified members and validates that we are essential,” said Adara Clark-Gunn’s, president of the San Juan chapter of the California School Employees Association. “Our members are feeling valued.”
The San Juan school board approved 10% raises for other employees, too, including ones who are in management and not represented by labor unions.
School faculty and staff have shouldered greater responsibilities as they’ve dealt with learning loss and other repercussions of the ongoing pandemic, now disrupting a fourth school year. Staff turnover has compounded those stresses, and EdSource reported last year that students in one out of five California classrooms were being taught by underprepared teachers.
“With a staffing shortage that has impacted us for both certificated and staffing positions, we believe that making the investment in our employees will help with recruitment and retention,” said Rai, the district representative. She also noted that they’re offering a $1,500 recruitment bonus to new employees this school year.
Under the terms of the tentative contracts, the district will spend $22,248,070 more this school year on teachers, and $9,090,965 more on school support staff, a 10.75% increase overall.
Salaries can be reopened for negotiations if the cost of living increases more than the state projections or if the district gets another windfall. The district, Rai said, has strong relationships with its labor unions, which helped them close negotiations swiftly in just over two months.
Notably, administrators are also getting a 10% raise — the board approved a tentative agreement with them, too.
This story was originally published October 13, 2022 at 5:30 AM.
