Chalk up a solid win for the district’s 4,500 teachers.
After lengthy and sometimes bitter negotiations, the Long Beach Unified School District and the Teachers Association of Long Beach recently announced a tentative contract agreement to replace the current contract, which expires this August.
The biggest difference is a 4.53% salary increase for the teachers, while an agreement was also made for a five-year teacher evaluation cycle. No teacher benefits were altered, but both sides will form committees to evaluate the agreement and suggest revisions over the next few weeks.
“Our hard-working teachers will receive a fair contract that includes a substantial salary increase in spite of lean economic times,” said Christopher J. Steinhauser, LBUSD superintendent of schools. “We must maintain our ability to attract and retain the best and brightest teachers. We believe this contract will help us to do that.”
TALB’s membership will vote on the contract ratification in February, after which it will go to the LBUSD Board of Education and Los Angeles County Office of Education for approval.