The Brea Olinda Teachers Association has announced it’s reached an impasse with the Brea Olinda Unified School District, triggering state mediation and the potential for a strike.
The district and the teachers association have failed to reach a compensation settlement that would “attract new educators with competitive salaries and benefits during the current 10,000-teacher shortage in California,” the California Teachers Association said in a statement released Thursday, Feb. 22. District officials said that failing to address an expected decrease in the cost of living before agreeing to the compensation proposals could lead to fiscal challenges for the district.
Jim Rogers, spokesperson for the California Teachers Association, of which the Brea Olinda association is a member, said district officials are proposing a salary rate that is less than half of what was expected; the two sides have met in seven separate negotiation sessions, he said.
The Brea Olinda Teachers Association, with the California School Employees Association, an umbrella union that represents all non-teaching school employees, are requesting a 4% increase in salaries from the district in light of the increase in the cost of living in the state, according to Rogers.
The proposal by the district is 44% of the teacher association’s proposal, he said. Additionally, the proposal by the district is a one-time payment pulling from the extra funds the district receives from the cost of living adjustment, Rogers said.
Since September, Brea-Olinda Unified teachers have been negotiating with district officials for a raise, citing neighboring districts, including Placentia-Yorba Linda Unified School District, that are increasing teacher salaries, Rogers said.
Despite the recent developments at the negotiation table, Brea-Olinda Unified Superintendent Brinda Leon said the district “continues to value the collaborative relationships with our associations and are committed to ongoing…
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