Ventura school unions reach tentative deal with district

Isaiah Murtaugh, Ventura County Star
·2 min read
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Dan Nelson, president of the Ventura Unified Education Association, speaks in September at a Ventura Unified School District board meeting packed with school staff and teachers.
Dan Nelson, president of the Ventura Unified Education Association, speaks in September at a Ventura Unified School District board meeting packed with school staff and teachers.

Months of turbulent contract negotiations between Ventura Unified School District and its two employee unions finally found clear skies with a "tentative, tentative" agreement during negotiations on Monday, according to a union representative.

The district's offer increased to a 10% permanent raise, a huge leap from its July proposal for a 1% permanent bump. The provisional agreement also includes a 2% raise for the current school year, slightly less than the district's original offer of 3%.

Dan Nelson, the president of the Ventura Unified Education Association, which represents teachers, said Venturans had been "incredible" throughout the four-month long negotiations.

"The parents and teachers have been with us the whole time," he said. "Fighting and pushing and believing in ourselves and what our kids deserve."

Antonio Castro, the district's superintendent, confirmed in a statement that negotiators had reached a "conceptual agreement on salary and benefits."

"This agreement supports the district's ongoing commitment to recruit and retain qualified and dedicated employees," he wrote.

Carol Peek, president of the Ventura Education Support Professionals Association, which represents classified employees, said the agreement was "huge" for fractured trust between the unions and district.

"I'm just glad it's over," Peek said. "Now I think the focus needs to be on repairing the relationship between the district and the unions. It's going to be a long haul but it can be done."

Read more:Ventura educators pack school board meeting over pay dispute, living cost increase

Union teachers and classified employees, represented by VESPA, actively protested what they viewed as lowball offers from the district in light of rising living costs in the city and county.

In October, hundreds of students walked out of several district high schools to protest in support of salary increases.

Nelson said the sides plan to finalize terms during negotiations on Tuesday before offering the contract to union members for a vote.

In addition to approval from both unions, the contract would require assent from the district's board before it becomes official.

This story may be updated.

Isaiah Murtaugh covers education for the Ventura County Star in partnership with Report for America. Reach him at isaiah.murtaugh@vcstar.com or 805-437-0236 and follow him on Twitter @isaiahmurtaugh and @vcsschools. You can support this work with a tax-deductible donation to Report for America.

This article originally appeared on Ventura County Star: Ventura Unified School District, unions reach tentative deal