After months of sometimes contentious labor negotiations, the Piedmont Unified School District and the Association of Piedmont Teachers reached a tentative agreement this week on a three-year collective bargaining agreement that is retroactive from July 1, 2023 through June 30, 2026. APT members will start voting on the agreement later this week, for a little more than a week. If the members ratify it, the school board will vote to approve it at their June 12 meeting.
The lengthy 20-page document covers a variety of working conditions and employee evaluations, but most importantly it outlines the new benefit and salary increases both sides had been wrangling over since last year.
District boosts benefits contribution
Rising healthcare costs have been a main source of concern for APT members. The district will pay for dental plans and increase its contribution to health care by up to $4,050 depending on the plan (see chart below), and reimburse employees for the last six months as a one-time, off-salary schedule payment.
(Employee Only Benefits Coverage: $7,800 $8,800 + District paid Single Party dental; Employee Plus One Benefits Coverage: $15,100 $17,500 + District paid 2-Party dental; Family Benefits Coverage: $20,800 $24,850 + District paid Family Dental)
| Plan | Annual Increase to District Contribution | Monthly Increase | # of months to be reimbursed | Total Payment amount |
| Employee Only | $1,000 | $90.91 | 6 | $545.45 |
| 2-Party | $2,400 | $218.18 | 6 | $1,309.09 |
| Family | $4,050 | $368.18 | 6 | $2,209.09 |
Starting in January 2025, the district will increase its contribution to benefits even more, capping them at: Employee Only Benefits Coverage: $9,200 + District paid Single Party dental; Employee Plus One Benefits Coverage: $18,125 + District paid 2-Party dental; Family Benefits Coverage: $25,650 + District paid Family Dental.
Parcel tax passage is essential part of salary increase
The tentative agreement sets forth a 4% salary increase starting July 1, 2024 for the 2024-2025 school year, and a 4.5% salary increase starting July 1, 2025 pending the passage of a new parcel tax in the November 2024 election. (If the parcel tax does not pass, that increase will only be 3% and additional substantial cuts will need to be made.)
Should the 2024-2025 statutory COLA exceed 3%, the District will apply an across the board .5% additional salary increase to certificated salary schedules; should the 2025-2026 statutory COLA exceed 5%, the District will apply an across the board .5% additional salary increase to certificated salary schedules.
Sighs of relief all around
APT President Dr. Elise Marks told the Exedra that she knows this has been a particularly long and tough negotiation for everyone concerned, but it was so because the financial need has been great. The health benefit contributions are “a huge help and relief. It really made the difference,” she said.
“We are happy to reach a tentative agreement with APT,” said PUSD Superintendent Dr. Jennifer Hawn. “This agreement represents many months of hard work and dedication toward securing optimal compensation and benefits for our educators, and we are grateful to APT for their extraordinary efforts. We look forward to future collaboration where together we can create an environment where every teacher feels valued, respected, and can thrive in our district.”
“We are truly glad that we reached an agreement with our teachers and we are looking forward to working collaboratively in the coming years,” said School Board President Veronica Anderson Thigpen.