Visalia Unified School District is on the verge of agreeing a new agreement with its teachers, putting any talk of a potential strike to rest.
The big picture: Visalia Unified announced Wednesday that it has reached a tentative agreement on a new Contract Bargaining Agreement for the 2023-2026 school years with the Visalia Unified Teachers Association (VUTA) on Wednesday.
- According to the district, both parties worked collaboratively to develop the comprehensive contract in record time.
What’s in it: The agreement includes the funded cost of living amount, currently proposed at 8.13 percent, as well as an additional increase of 1.87 percent in commitment to competitive salary, resulting in an overall salary increase of 10 percent.
What we’re watching: The teachers are voting on the agreement from Thursday through Monday.
- If it is approved by the union, the Visalia Unified Board of Education will consider it for approval at its meeting on May 9.
What they’re saying: “I am proud of the good faith efforts of our bargaining teams, resulting in one of the earliest agreements ever reached and extraordinary investments in our teachers here in Visalia Unified School District,” said Superintendent Kirk Shrum.
- VUTA President Greg Price said the union appreciates the collaborative spirit of their negotiations with the district.
- “We are pleased to have reached a comprehensive Tentative Agreement working with the VUSD negotiations team, and to have accomplished that goal in record time,” Price said.
