School district reaches tentative agreement with teachers union

BY JUN STARKEY

The Carpinteria Unified School District has reached a tentative agreement regarding salary increases and school calendars with the Carpinteria Association of United School Employees (CAUSE), negotiating an eight percent retroactive raise for all certificated staff employed by the district as of July 1, 2022.

“We are pleased to reach tentative agreements for 22-23 certificated salary increases and school calendars for 22-23, 23-24, and 24-25,” said CUSD Superintendent Diana Rigby. “We look forward to completing the 22-23 classified negotiations in the next month.”

There are 150 certificated staff who will receive this raise, Rigby said.

Other salary negotiations include increasing the stipend for teachers who hold the Board Certified Coach (BCC) or the Bilingual, Cross-Cultural, Language and Academic Development (BCLAC) credentials, and are “actively employed teaching within the scope of that credential” from $1,000 to $3,000, and increasing the amount the district pays for retirees’ medical premiums.

Originally, the district paid $3,500 toward retirees with 20 years of service, $4,000 to those with 25 years of service and the total cost at the time of retirement for those with 30 years of service. This was increased to $10,000 for retirees with 20 years of service, and $15,000 to those with 25 years of service.

The union also negotiated for compensation for union members at their daily rate of pay for attending an additional Professional Development day; one more day to the school year; and one-time, off schedule payments of $5,000 to kindergarten teachers, and $10,000 for transitional kindergarten (TK) teachers.

The district will also provide an extended day, to 2:30 p.m., to TK students, every Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday for the entire school year, and the same extended days to kindergarten students for the first six weeks of the school year.

Members of CAUSE will review the documents and let their representatives know if they support these changes.