OAKLAND, Calif. _ Following seven days of picketing _ their second longest strike in the past quarter century _ Oakland teachers are expected to return to the classroom next week after a tentative agreement was reached Friday.
The district announced that the new contract will give teachers a total compensation increase of 14 percent _ an 11 percent "ongoing" salary increase with a one-time 3 percent bonus for educators.
"On Monday, March 4, we look forward to everyone being together again in the classroom and engaged in teaching and learning," Superintendent Kyla Johnson-Trammell said in a statement.
"This contract caps a historic seven-day strike that united a community to save public education in Oakland," the Oakland Education Association, which represents teachers and school nurses and counselors, said in its statement.
The teachers union was expected to share the agreement's details with its 3,000 members later Friday and give them 24 hours to vote on it. If a majority of the union members ratify the deal, the strike could officially be called off.
The average Oakland Unified teacher made $63,149 during the 2017-18 school year. With this raise, the average teacher would be making $70,095 a year by 2021 and will receive a $1,894 bonus.
Oakland Unified spokesman John Sasaki said teachers will receive the bonuses once the agreement is ratified, and paychecks will increase as soon as possible with retroactive pay from Jan. 1.
Sasaki did not immediately say how much the new agreement would cost the district _ which faces a financial deficit estimated to reach $59 million by the 2020-21 school year. Alameda County Superintendent of Schools Karen Monroe _ who would give the final approval for the agreement _ released a statement congratulating the two parties for coming to an agreement. Alameda County Office of Education spokeswoman Michelle McDonald said Monroe will review the agreement over the next few days and decide whether its financially sustainable for the district.
"Today marks a sea change for OUSD as we take a major step in support of our teachers and students," Johnson-Trammell said. "Our teachers are the core of everything we do as a school district, and we are pleased to have reached a tentative agreement that shows them how valuable they are. The contract will help ensure more teachers stay in Oakland and that more come to teach in our classrooms and support our students."
Leaders of the union are considering the agreement a "win in every major proposal that OEA made." In addition to the raise, the district will also put a five-month moratorium on school closures, phase in class-size reductions across all schools, and hire more special education teachers and counselors, according to a news release from the union.
The school board will also lobby state legislators for a charter school moratorium, the union's news release said.
The union had initially asked for a class-size cap reduction of two students per class across all schools. The district responded with a proposal to reduce class-size caps by one student across all schools and two students in schools with the "most vulnerable students." The union ended up settling for a class-size cap reduction of one student across all schools by the 2021-22 school year.
The union had originally demanded a 12 percent raise over three years, but a state arbitrator found that the district couldn't afford it.
Board of Education President Aimee Eng said, "This contract is a compromise made by people who worked together to focus more of our energy and resources in the classroom. This agreement does exactly that. Of course, we must thank State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond and State Assembly member Rob Bonta for the critical roles they played in helping us reach an agreement."
