The San Benito High School Teachers Association has approved its
tentative agreement with the San Benito High School District and
awaits a possible approval from the district’s board of trustees
Wednesday.
The San Benito High School Teachers Association has approved its tentative agreement with the San Benito High School District and awaits a possible approval from the district’s board of trustees Wednesday. That proposal includes a slight pay increase and full health benefits for the teachers.
Teachers approved the three-year contract in a vote held Nov. 23 and 24, by a 54-27 margin.
The agreement would reinstate two professional development days next year, giving teachers a 1.09 percent salary increase, and it will give teachers two consecutive days of necessity leave without stating a reason. Teachers would also have the ability to negotiate raises in the 2011-2012 and 2012-2013 school years.
One of the biggest reasons for the approval was that the district committed to fully fund health care over the duration of the contract – something the district had threatened to take off the table, teachers association President Mitch Huerta said. The district is one of the few districts in the state that fully funds health care.
“One of the reasons why I think some said no is because in the fourth year the district will stop paying for health care. Unless there is another agreement, the teachers will have to pay out of pocket,” Huerta said.
The agreement comes a few months after the district declared an impasse in negotiations with the teachers associations. The contentious negotiations included the district threatening to cut teacher salaries 5 percent, along with teachers and staff rallying in front of the school because of class sizes.
The negotiations have left some of the teachers angry and feeling disrespected, Huerta said.
“A number of the teachers are dissatisfied with the negotiation process,” he said. “From the very beginning there was a feeling of being disrespected or slighted at the negotiation table.”
District Superintendent Stan Rose said after declaring impasse, the district wanted to make one last overture.
Huerta said if it weren’t for the district’s attorneys getting involved, an agreement would never have been made.
“If they didn’t bring in their attorneys, we would still be at an impasse, he said.
