High school teachers reach contract settlement
Deal approves 5 percent raise, gives district an escape clause
By Michelle Knight knight@theacorn.com

The Oxnard Union High School District school board unanimously approved a 5 percent raise for its teachers last week in a contract that also gives the district an escape clause should the state make significant budget cuts next year.

The three-year contract with the Oxnard Federation of Teachers is effective December 2007 to December 2010, although salary and benefits are retroactive to July 1, 2007.

District and union officials say their unique negotiating formula makes for a less contentious atmosphere at the bargaining table.

"This is the only district I'm aware of in the state that (negotiates) this way," said Jim Rose, president of the Oxnard Federation of Teachers, which represents about 800 teachers, counselors, psychologists and 700 other school employees.

"The benefit of having that formula- it's really created a lasting labor peace," said Roger Rice, the school district's assistant superintendent for human resources.

Both sides don't always agree, but "we don't fight openly about money," Rice said.

Stalled contract talks between the Pleasant Valley School District and Pleasant Valley Education Association in Camarillo, on the other hand, have become a public affair. Teachers have attended school board meetings en masse, pleading with trustees to act on an earlier promise district officials made to raise salaries and benefits, which are among the lowest in the county.

Both sides reached an impasse last month after the district offered a 3 percent raise and onetime bonus of $700. The 360-member teachers union said it won't settle for less than 6 percent and an additional $3,500 a year per teacher toward benefits. The two sides are expected to resume contract talks with a mediator next month.

In Thousand Oaks, negotiations between the school district and union tend to be less contentious because both sides come to the bargaining table with the attitude that each must benefit from the contract in what's termed an interestbased approach, said JoAnn Yoos, assistant superintendent with Conejo Valley Unified School District.

The district agreed in October to give its teachers a 2.5 percent raise and a one-time bonus of 0.5 percent. The district has paid the cost of healthcare benefits for many years.

"It was a very amenable contract," Yoos said. "It's not a winlose. You hope to come out with a win-win (contract)."

In Oxnard, the union budget committee and representatives from the district business office meet several times a year to go over the district's financial projections. The district has a longstanding agreement to earmark two-thirds of its unrestricted state revenue for the union, money that pays for teachers' salaries and benefits and a raise if money is left over.

When approaching the bargaining table, the union knows just how much money to expect.

"It's an open book process," Rose said.

The negotiating formula contributes toward a cooperative, even collaborative, relationship between the two parties, but it sometimes puts the union in the position of giving back money to the district Rose said.

For example, Oxnard recently came up short after having to pay substantially more money for its special education students who attend school outside the district. Oxnard asked for some money back from the union, and the union agreed, Rose said.

What about hard times?

Although the threeyear contract guarantees teachers a raise, next year could be a question mark. California has a $14-billion deficit and is making cuts across the board, including in education. Mindful that tough times could be ahead, both sides agreed to include two safety-net features for the district in the contract.

The district or union can renegotiate salary and/or benefits for the 2008-09 school year, which could free up money for the district if it's needed.

Both sides plan to meet in the spring to review next year's budget prospects.

Additionally, each side agreed to eliminate one of the six districtpaid staff development days. The state doesn't pay school districts for teacher-training days, only the days students are in school.

The two additional minimum school days allowed for in the new contract can be used for additional training, Rice said.

With the district and union having a longtime tradition of collaborating instead of contending over money, Rose said it's likely that both sides can work together should more significant state cuts occur.

The union is aware that student enrollment has plateaued the last two years and that the district may have to lay off teachers at some point. But Rose said that's with the expectation that the district will also make concessions.

"I have faith that the formula will work for us even through tough times, as long as we make adjustments together," Rose said. "It's all about fairness- that's what we strive for."