Dublin School District Reaches Tentative Agreement With Teachers Union

DUBLIN, CA — The Dublin Unified School District reached a tentative agreement with the Dublin Teachers Association for the upcoming school year, Superintendent Chris Funk told families Friday in an email.

Following months of negotiations, the agreement includes some of the following terms:

• An eight percent salary increase to certified staff.
• To offset inflation, a $2,500 one-time, off-schedule stipend for DTA members who worked the previous school year and plan on returning for the upcoming year, or for new hires joining in the fall.
• Expanded health coverage from 75 to 80 percent of the Kaiser Single Rate and the Kaiser Two-Party rate.
• An agreement to explore options for increasing the “years of experience” credit.

“The supply of teachers is limited, the demand for this valuable resource is high, competition from other school districts is significant, and our federal and state government officials have not prioritized teacher compensation in a way that would remove these obstacles,” Funk said in the email.

“We would like to thank the DUSD and DTA negotiating teams for all their hard work and dedication to creating a happy, vibrant, diverse, and appreciated workforce. The work they have done helps to ensure that our students have the best chance to reach their full potential.”

The agreement comes after months of negotiating and threats of striking. In April, the DTA held public rallies at DUSD headquarters and Dublin High School. On June 23, 96 percent of DTA members voted in favor of striking in a practice vote, DTA bargaining chair Katina Lewis and former DTA President Robbie Kreitz told Pleasanton Weekly. Originally, the district was offering a 3.25 percent pay raise, according to the Weekly.

"We are grateful that the district was receptive to DTA's initiative to return to the table in light of the state budget being signed and prior to our July 7 mediation date," Kreitz told Pleasanton Weekly. Teachers would have had the right to strike if mediation and a report from a neutral fact-finder failed to break the impasse, according to the California Teachers Association.

The union and the school board will vote to ratify the agreement on Aug. 9.