FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Issued By: Superintendent Pasquale Scuderi (510) 337-7060 and
Board President Mialisa Bonta
AUSD and AEA Sign Tentative Agreement
Alameda, Calif. -
October 10, 2019
- Bargaining teams from the Alameda Unified School District (AUSD) and the Alameda Education Association (AEA) signed a Tentative Agreement (TA) this week for a three-year salary increase.
The district and the AEA (which represents teachers, nurses, counselors, and speech and language pathologists) have been negotiating various articles in their contract since March 2019. Under the terms of the three-year agreement, AEA members will receive a 4% raise for 2019-20. If Alameda voters approve a parcel tax dedicated solely to employee salaries in March 2020, AEA members will receive an additional 1% raise retroactive to January 2020 (bringing the total this year to 5%) and an 8% increase for 2020-21.
The two teams will return to the table to negotiate salary in the third year.
Bargaining Background
AUSD salaries have lagged behind those of other Alameda County school districts for many years. This is due to a number of factors, including low class sizes, small neighborhood schools, and high special education costs. The parcel tax is expected to bring AUSD salaries up to the county average for the first time in nearly two decades.
"This agreement is the result of creative and principled efforts on both sides of the table," says Superintendent Pasquale Scuderi. "We value our teachers, we know their pay has long ranked among the lowest in the county, and this agreement allows us to collaboratively pursue an innovative solution for providing the salaries our employees so clearly deserve, while also allowing the district to remain responsible stewards of the public's resources."
Adds School Board President Mialisa Bonta, "Increasing employee compensation is a priority for the Board of Education, and we are excited at the prospect of raising salaries to the county average. We know that maintaining high-performing schools is important to our community
and dependent on retaining and attracting highly qualified teachers who can engage and inspire our students. We hope the community will continue to partner with us as we explore options for supporting our employees, our students, and our island city."
Next steps
Now that the TA has been signed, AEA members and AUSD's Board of Education will vote on whether to ratify the new contract. If the AEA ratifies the TA, the Board of Education will vote on the TA at a board meeting this month.
"I am glad we were able to come to a tentative agreement on teacher salary," says AEA President Judith Klinger. "This settlement, if the parcel tax passes, will bring our teachers from the bottom of Alameda County to the county average. Competitive compensation will not only attract the best teachers to our classrooms, it will retain them too, stopping the 20% annual teacher turnover rate. Who wins? Our students."
###
A
lameda Unified School District (AUSD) serves more than 9400 students in Alameda, California, an island community in the San Francisco Bay Area. For more information, please visit the
AUSD website
, follow
@AUSDNews
on Twitter, or subscribe to our
email communications
. Questions? Contact Susan Davis, Senior Manager, Community Affairs, at
sdavis@alamedaunified.org.
