After a tense yet successful protest to raise staff salaries from the Sequoia District Teachers Association (SDTA) in the fall of 2023, the SDTA bargaining team has returned to propose salary revisions for this school year.
Last school year, the union proposed a 15% combined salary increase over two years: 8% in the 2023-24 school year and 7% in 2024-25. This total proposal was rejected, but the SDTA and District temporarily compromised for an 8% salary increase just for 2023-24. Now, with the new school year, negotiations have been reopened.
The SDTA proposed a 6% salary increase last May for the 2024-25 school year, and the District countered with a 5% raise. Beyond teacher’s salaries, the SDTA’s negotiations also address reopened provisions for coaching and activity stipends.
The bargaining proposal in May of 2023 outlined provisions with pension benefits for District retirees, additional stipends in the sports and activities categories, and a provision for a supplementary $1,000 for SDTA bargaining members or any non-management employee who oversees the activities.
Unlike this year, the District and union were fighting over a lengthy 5% difference, requiring an extreme mobilization. “I think that with the information and the numbers, we are going to be able to reach an agreement without the same level of mobilization,” SDTA President and bargaining team member Edith Salvatore said.
One change made to the proposal was the increased number of stipends for athletic and elective coaches and directors. In addition to adding new stipends for elective classes and programs like Robotics and Speech and Debate, SDTA has also proposed a stipend increase for the athletic directors, advisors for volleyball and badminton, and multiple assistant positions for other sports.
In cases where a coach or teacher for a sport or class is not available to teach an activity, “walk-on” teachers are often implemented. Walk-ons are advisors who also have other roles that take on the responsibility for the activity. Stipends for walk-ons often incentivize the position to staff members and encourage them to take on another role.
“The SDTA and District both see that there is a big incentive to have a staff person as a walk-on because it means you’re part of the community, available to students during the school day if something comes up, and people know how to get in touch with you,” Salvatore said.
When the opportunity arose to include non-management members, the SDTA was quick to increase the $500 bonus to $1,000 for provisional advisors and coaches.
With projections of Bay Area home interest rates spiking to 6.8% in 2025 according to the California Association of Realtors (CAR), an increase in raise will need to be substantial to match the rising inflation rate of 2.5%.
“Our team is willing to put in the work to make sure that in our contract, we continue the enhancements that keep people wanting to work in the Sequoia District,” Salvatore said.
Last Friday’s negotiations between the District and SDTA concluded with an unfinalized raise.
