Amador County Unified
School District is not
only the district currently embroiled in labor negotiations with their teachers
union over salaries and benefits. Many of the districts’ so called “comparable
districts” are facing the same issues; negotiating in tough financial times.
Amador County teachers were offered salary increases of 3.5 percent. The local
teachers unions, Amador County Teacher’s Association (ACTA) and the Special
Educator’s Association (SEAC) both rejected the offer. In Calaveras County the picture is similar in some
districts with teachers in the Vallecito Union School District rejecting a 6.5
percent increase. In Tuolumne
County the Twain Harte-Longbarn district, a district plagued with declining
enrollment the teachers asked for 4.5 percent but according to district
officials maybe only looking at 2 percent and in the event the district
receives more state funding the agreement would funnel some of that to the
teachers.
Else where in Calaveras and
Tuolumne Counties, County teachers have reached settlement with salary increase
agreements ranging between 6 and 7.5 percent. The Summerville Union High School
District will receive a 7.2 percent increase while their Elementary District
teachers will receive 7.5 percent. The Sonora High School District has settled
on around 6 percent as did Calaveras County’s Mark twin Union Elementary teachers. Like Amador
County Unified several other Calaveras
and Tuolumne County Districts remain in negotiations. Amdor County Unified
Officials were told this winter by their auditor Stephen Roach Accountancy that
their deficit spending cycle must end, budget cuts implemented and that they
could not afford much in the way of salary increases.
