Strike Averted: Union, SRVUSD Reach Tentative Agreement

SAN RAMON, CA — The San Ramon Valley Unified School District said it has reached a tentative agreement with its largest teachers union, the San Ramon Valley Education Association, after months of back-and-forth between the two parties.

SRVEA represents 1,688 teachers and specialists at SRVUSD. Ninety-eight percent of SRVEA's 1,688 members voted to authorize a strike.

The union rejected what the district called its best and final offer during a third mediation last month, sending negotiations into a fact-finding stage, where three panelists would hear out both parties and present what they feel are the facts of the situation.

The union said it would strike if it did not like the district's offer after fact-finding ended. SRVEA also considered a strike during their last round of negotiations with the district.

The details of the agreement are unclear, but the district said early Tuesday morning that negotiations Monday lasted all day and into the night, and more information would come soon.

The collective bargaining agreement based on the agreement will cover the period from July 2019 to June 2022, SRVUSD said.

The union considered striking in an attempt to push for classroom size caps, and more nurses and counselors. The district pushed back, saying those demands are too costly.

SRVEA President Ann Katzburg formerly said there were bright spots in the district's previous offer: SRVUSD agreed to a 2.5 percent salary increase, offered to hire five additional psychologists and offered additional pay to teachers who are assigned class sizes larger than the cap size.

The Contra Costa County Office of Education said in a Feb. 27 letter to SRVUSD Superintendent Rick Schmitt that the district's salary increase agreement with SRVEA would result in a $1 million cost increase.

"The County Office has serious concerns about the fiscal condition of SRVUSD," the county wrote.

The county education office asked SRVUSD to provide a detailed plan to show how the district would reduce costs to afford the proposed pay raises.

The union and district last reached an agreement in March 2019, which included: a 4.18 percent salary increase; improved staff-to-student ratios for librarians, counselors, nurses and more; caseload maximums for special education professions; an extra 50 minutes of prep time for elementary school teachers; and more, the district said.

Stay tuned to Patch for more on the tentative agreement.

Read more on SRVUSD:

• SRVUSD Salary Database
• Union On SRVUSD Offer: 'That Is Not Moving Us Forward'
• Under Threat Of Strike, SRVUSD Considers 'Emergency' Substitutes
• SRVUSD Teachers Union OKs Strike Amid Negotiations