The Sun
Sunnyvale's Newspaper

Teachers and classified staff settle on contract

By Justin Berton

The Sunnyvale School District board approved a new three-year contract for classified workers at the June 25 meeting, completing a wrap-up of all labor contracts before the board takes its summer break.

The classified contract follows the signing of the teachers' contract three weeks ago, when 280 teachers in the district also ratified a new three-year contract.

"Now we can focus our energy in other areas," said board member Jessica Lee.

While the classified employees' three-year contract contained few changes and passed with little discussion, the teachers' contract was the result of nine months of negotiation.

The teachers will receive a 7 percent raise for the first year, retroactive to Feb. 1.

As a result of the new contract, the district will do away with a staggered scheduling system it has used for the past 25 years.

The move will be popular with parents who have multiple children at one school, according to board members. Oftentimes, parents had to return to the school several times a day if one child began classes earlier than the other.

Staggering the starting times was once an effective and popular way to maintain small class sizes. The district will maintain reduced class sizes for grades K-2 by hiring more teachers.

Next school year, teachers will receive a 2 percent raise; and the third year, teachers' salaries will be adjusted for the cost of living.

The biggest gain for the teachers was the starting pay rate for new teachers. Previously, the base salary for an entry-level educator in the district was $25,987. As of July 1, a new teacher will start at $30,883.

The pay increase will allow the district to draw more qualified personnel who are shopping for positions in their first years out of college.

"We were interested in attracting and retaining people of quality," board president Linda Kilian said, "and it's hard to do that if you are paying them $25,000 a year."

One new expense to parents and students for the coming school year will be a slight increase in the cost of school lunch.

The cost will increase for the first time in eight years from $1.50 to $1.75. According to a district report, the total cost for one lunch of the more than 5,800 served each day was $1.65. The district was making up the 15 cents. Now, with labor costs due to increase under the new contract, the cost of lunch to the district will be $1.73.

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This article appeared in the Sunnyvale Sun, July 1, 1998.
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