After forgoing raises last year because of the Long Beach Unified’s looming financial problems, the school district and its teachers union reached a tentative agreement for 2025-26 that would give educators a modest pay bump.
If the agreement is ratified, certificated employees — including teachers, nurses and librarians — will receive a 1% permanent wage hike and a one-time 1.5% payment retroactive to the beginning of this school year.
Last year’s contract, ratified by union members in December after protracted negotiations, did not increase pay — a blow to teachers after years of consistent, large compensation wins. That outcome reflected the district’s worsening finances, as declining enrollment, expiring pandemic relief funds and rising costs forced LBUSD into deficit spending.
This year, only a limited set of items, including compensation, opened for bargaining (the entire contract is up only every three years), and “the pressure was raised” for a salary bump, said Peder Larsen, vice president of the teachers union. “Inflation has been pretty painful over the last few years, so going a year without a raise was hurting our members,” he added.
Although higher pay was a priority in negotiations, the district’s financial reality was “the elephant in the room,” Larsen said.
At a board meeting on Wednesday, district administrators presented a sobering budget update. Enrollment continues to decline and is expected to dip below 60,000 students for the first time next school year. Attendance has not rebounded to pre-pandemic levels. Because state funding is closely tied to attendance and enrollment, both trends drain the revenue LBUSD receives, said Yumi Takahashi, chief business and financial officer for the district.
Administrators also announced a rare piece of good financial news: A recent revision from the governor’s office means that LBUSD expects to get more money from the state, improving the district’s outlook. While the district is projected to finish this school year operating at a deficit of $72.4 million, next year’s projected deficit has fallen to $34.8 million, according to the updated budget. Still, administrators projected the district will have to dip into its reserves again next year, for the third year in a row.
The district has already cut $47 million, and plans to cut tens of millions more in the coming years as part of their fiscal stabilization plan, administrators said. The district sent layoff notices to hundreds of educators on special contracts earlier this year. Though some were called back, many think broader layoffs are on the horizon.
Those factors meant that “bargaining wasn’t straightforward,” Larsen said. He had expected negotiations to roll over into the next school year because the district had recently offered a one-time payment but no ongoing salary increase, a “nonstarter,” Larsen said. Then, at the final bargaining session of the year, the district agreed to offer a 1% permanent pay raise, and both sides reached an agreement, which has been recommended for a yes vote by the union executive board and the bargaining team.
In addition to the raise, healthcare will remain premium-free for members. The agreement also includes a new section expanding protections for victims of violence, reflecting a recent state law.
This “is the best deal that they could come up with right now,” said Larsen of the bargaining team, made up of educators who represent different grade levels, position types and interests across the union.
Voting opened Thursday morning for union members to decide whether or not to ratify the contract. If they do, as Larsen predicts, the agreement will go before the school board for final approval.