Overview
- The School Board, which voted 6-1 Wednesday, approved a 3.5% recurring raise for teachers after months of stalled talks.
- District officials said implementing the raise will require budget cuts that could eliminate about 250 jobs, including 192 teachers, 19 administrators and 43 office assistants.
- The agreement is not final until the Classroom Teachers Association votes to ratify it, and the union expects a ballot before the end of the school year and retroactive lump-sum pay by early summer if approved.
- Leaders cited an estimated $66 million drop in state funding tied to roughly 7,000 fewer students, while Superintendent Mike Burke had pushed a 1.5% raise plus a 1.5% one-time bonus to limit layoffs.
- The board followed a special magistrate’s 3.5% recommendation that the union accepted and Burke rejected, with Gloria Branch casting the lone no vote after praising his fiscal approach.