Stockton Unified teachers hit the picket line after 22 months without a contract

As contract negotiations drag on, Stockton Teachers Association members led a two-hour protest outside of Stockton Unified School District's headquarters ahead of Tuesday's board of trustees meeting.

Lined up on South Lincoln Street, dozens of teachers donned blue shirts and waved signs that read: "Invest in our teachers and our children succeed," "Our kids are worth it," and "Teachers just wanna have funds."

Teachers in Stockton's largest school district — which serves nearly 40,000 students — have been waiting 22 months for a new contract, Stockton Teachers Association President Christopher Anderson said. Their last contract expired in August 2022.

Among teachers' demands are better working conditions, cost-of-living adjustments, and to feel heard and valued by the district, union officials said.

So far, the district and the union have met at the bargaining table 10 times this school year, according to school board agenda documents. The district has proposed a 6% pay increase, but the union has not agreed to the amount.

Andre Girley, a seventh-grade and eighth-grade special needs teacher at El Dorado Elementary School, was among the teachers in the sea of blue on Tuesday. As an educator who has served nearly three decades in Stockton Unified schools, Girley said teachers can never seem to get a contract within the school year.

"It's been a rough go," Girley said. "This is year 28 and I always have to march for any type of pay raise. Whenever you see minimum wage go up, obviously other wages have to go up as well, and we don't see that. We always have to negotiate, and sometimes the district doesn't negotiate in good faith."

Girley believes that if the pay were better, more people would go into the teaching profession.

"We're always being told that our profession is very noble and we do so much for students, but it's never reflected when it comes to the pay. It always seems to be the cliche of, 'You don't go into teaching for the pay. You go into it to help kids,'" he said, "but at the same time, you also need to pay the bills. You need to make a living."

In a written statement, Superintendent Michelle Rodriguez said that Stockton Unified "believes it should be investing in staff."

"We will negotiate in good faith while ensuring that the district remains fiscally solvent, valuing all our employees," Rodriguez said.

The district also shared data that shows — under the proposed 6% increase — its salaries for first-year teachers would compare favorably with surrounding districts, including Ceres, Manteca, and Tracy unified school districts.

First-year Stockton Unified teachers would take home $59,814, while teachers at Ceres Unified would take home $51,455, Manteca Unified $49,099, and Tracy Unified $49,283, according to the data.

But teachers who attended the protest said the numbers were "deceiving" and didn't take teachers' years of experience into account.

"Everything has doubled," said Joyce Arceo, a veteran teacher at Hong Kingston Elementary School. "Gas has gone up ... we have several parent teachers who have to wonder, 'Do I put food on the table or do I pay for gas to commute?' It's not OK."

Per Transparent California, the average pay for a Stockton Unified primary teacher in 2022 was $82,607, not including benefits. Secondary teachers in 2022 were paid an average of $77,989, not including benefits.

Record reporter Hannah Workman covers news in Stockton and San Joaquin County. She can be reached at hworkman@recordnet.com or on Twitter @byhannahworkman. Support local news, subscribe to The Stockton Record at https://www.recordnet.com/subscribenow.

This article originally appeared on The Record: Stockton Unified teachers protest after 22 months without a contract