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Back to School: Teachers begin voting on deal to end strike at West Contra Costa School District
Students are heading back to school Thursday, after the strike that started last week in the West Contra Costa Unified School District ended with a tentative deal to give teachers an 8% raise over two years.
RICHMOND, Calif. - Schools in the West Contra Costa Unified School District are set to reopen Thursday after a days-long teachers' strike ended overnight with a tentative agreement between district leaders and the educators’ union. While both sides have reached an agreement, the deal still needs to be ratified by the school board and members of the union.
The United Teachers of Richmond announced early Wednesday that negotiators reached a deal that includes an 8% salary increase over the next two years, with additional raises for special education teachers, as well as hiring bonuses and retention incentives.
"Our first-year teachers currently make about $55,000 a year, and the average pay across the district was about $91,000 last year," Gabrielle Micheletti, the vice president of United Teachers of Richmond said. "When we compared to the other unified districts in the county, all of them were more highly paid than us. With this change in compensation we'll be more highly competitive."
Teachers who stay with the district for more than three years and who are graduates of the district would qualify for added retention bonuses.
The agreement also outlines a significant expansion of health care coverage.
Beginning in 2027, the district would pay 100% of the cost of family health care plans. International teachers would receive district support toward obtaining permanent residency.
Union leaders have long warned of a hiring and retention crisis, saying more than 1,500 teachers have left the district over the last five years.
"For me, the most important thing is fully staffed and stable schools," said Michelle Schultz, a second-grade teacher. "Not only as a teacher who has seen colleagues leave because they could get higher pay elsewhere, but as a parent whose child has gone through this."
School Board President Jamela Smith-Folds said in a statement that the district’s next steps are "to heal, and ensure we are moving forward together," adding that "it is very clear that West Contra Costa loves and values education."
The strike was the first in the district’s history.
"This has been a long and challenging journey, and through it all, the service to students and maintaining the fiscal health of our organization have always been our goals," Superintendent Cheryl Cotton said. "As we move forward, we will focus on returning, reconnecting our community, and redesigning our organization to keep student needs as the foremost priority."
Teachers and students are expected to return to normal instruction Thursday. The tentative agreement still requires approval from both the school board and union members. The board is scheduled to meet Wednesday evening.