Sonoma Valley school district ratifies contract with teachers’ union

Sonoma Valley Unified School District ratified a contract with the Valley of the Moon Teachers Association that will give teachers a 14% salary increase over the next two academic years.|

The Sonoma Valley Unified School District Board of Trustees on Monday voted unanimously to ratify an agreement with the Valley of the Moon Teachers Association that will provide teachers, librarians and secondary and elementary school counselors with a 14% salary increase over the next two academic years.

“I am satisfied with the contract,” board President Cathy Coleman said. “Salary increases always help the individuals receiving them. They boost morale for teachers. They also make the district more competitive with other districts, and they help to address the high cost of living in Sonoma.”

SVUSD Acting Superintendent Elizabeth Kaufman and Associate Superintendent of Business Services Josh Braff issued a joint statement commending the contract. Kaufman was named acting superintendent Nov. 18 when then-Superintendent Adrian Palazuelos reached a settlement agreement with the board after serving in the post since June 2021.

“We believe this agreement boosts morale, increases employee satisfaction, enables the district to attract and retain excellent educators, and helps to address the community’s high cost of living,” the statement said, adding the two wanted to thank the board for its dedication in reaching the deal.

Ronette Wesson, co-president — along with Laura Monterosso — of the VMTA, also is pleased with the contract.

“We had hoped for a three-year agreement, but got a two-year one instead,” Wesson said. “This is still an improvement over the past several years, where we always asked for three (years) but got a one-year deal.”

She noted the new scale will increase the starting pay for new teachers — a minimum of $60,804 — and help teachers reach the top pay level — $102,169 to $107,948 — much faster.

“What used to take 27 years now will only take 16,” she said.

At the Nov. 28 meeting, Coleman and trustees Anne Ching, John Kelly and Troy Knox voted to approve the salary schedule, which calls for an 8% salary boost in 2022-23 and a 6% raise in 2023-24. Trustee Melanie Blake was not present.

Before the vote, Braff provided a public disclosure of the financial impacts of the agreement. He stated that all certificated staff members are receiving the increase and that teachers, librarians and counselors — but no other classes of certificated staff members — will also receive a “significant salary schedule restructuring.”

He said that the restructuring will increase the district’s expenses by an additional 2.2% — actually making the total increase 10.2% in 2022-23 — but that it was not in the VMTA agreement and is included in the district’s financial report because all salary adjustments must include a monetary value and percentage change.

Total compensation, which includes statutory benefits, as well as health and welfare plans, was $29,573,284 prior to the agreement and it will rise by $2,562,809, to $32,136,093 in 2022-23 and by $1,988,596, to $34,124,689 in 2023-24.

The cost of the total compensation per employee was $136,534 prior to the agreement and will increase by $11,832, to $148,366 in 2022-23, and by $9,181, to $157,547 in 2023-24.

“We greatly appreciate Acting Superintendent Kaufman for her efforts to make sure this deal was done and didn’t take any longer,” Wesson said. “She truly wants the best for the students and staff in this district. Andrew Ryan (the director of human resources) and Josh Braff were also instrumental in making it happen.”

Reach the reporter, Dan Johnson, at daniel.johnson@sonomanews.com.

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