The San Diego Teachers Union and the San Diego school district have reached a tentative labor agreement on wages and benefits. The two sides reopened negotiations earlier this year. KPBS Reporter Ana Tintocalis has more.
Under the new contract, teachers get a 4.3 percent pay hike. That means new teachers will make more than $40,000 and veteran teachers will earn just over 80,000. Union president Camille Zombro says it used to take more than 20 years to reach the top, now it takes 17.
Zombro: The high end of the salary schedule is very important. Because when our teachers retire, it’s based on their single highest year. So having a decent high salary is very important to us as well.
Zombro says health benefits will remain the same. She says the new contract means San Diego City teachers are no longer the lowest paid teachers in the region.
Ana Tintocalis, KPBS News.
