Striking west Sonoma County teachers reach contract agreement with district

Leaders of a west Sonoma County teachers union reached a tentative agreement with the district Friday, ending a three-day strike that disrupted classes for more than 1,000 students.

About 110 teachers and staff in the West Sonoma County Teachers Association have been on the picket lines in Sebastopol and Forestville since Wednesday. Friday’s meeting was the first round of bargaining since efforts to avert a strike at a four-hour meeting Tuesday fell short.

The tentative agreement reached Friday provides teachers with a 12% pay raise over three years, with just the third year contingent on voter approval of a proposed parcel tax for the March 2020 ballot, according to a news release from the district. Health and welfare benefits will increase over the life of the contract, and wage increases for psychologists, speech therapists and nurses are also included in the agreement.

“This is an incredible day for our entire school community,” said Superintendent Toni Beal in the release. “We value our teachers—this agreement will allow the district and teachers to move forward for the benefit of all students.”

Since the strike began, classrooms in the West County Union High School District have been mostly empty at Analy, El Molino and Laguna campuses, as well as a special education consortium. District officials estimated the strike caused losses of $85,000 each day because school funding is tied to attendance.

Union president Lily Smedshammer expressed appreciation for the union’s negotiation team in a Facebook post about 4:30 p.m., celebrating the tentative agreement.

“Thank you to our community!” Smedshammer said in the post. “You have honored us with your support!”

Neither Beal nor Smedshammer could immediately be reached by phone for comment on the tentative agreement.

Under the previous contract, teachers with no experience receive an annual salary of $48,079, with a health benefits and life insurance package valued at $25,200 — the second highest in Sonoma County, according to a district report.

A teacher who reaches the maximum step on the salary schedule would receive pay of $83,950 and the same benefits plan. Retirement benefits were not called out in the report.

The average salary for a California public schoolteacher in 2017-18 was $80,680, according to the state Department of Education. Averages for teachers in high school districts of a similar makeup to West County Union ranged from approximately $48,600 to $99,800 at the top step.

During negotiations Tuesday, union leaders turned down a district offer that would have provided the 12% raise over three years because two of the three increases would have been contingent on voter approval of the 2020 parcel tax. Beal previously said the district could not afford the three-year pay hike that would cost about $3.2 million unless the district established a new stream of revenue, or made another wave of cuts.

The current parcel tax of $48 per year expires in 2021. The district is exploring increasing that tax to $72 — a hike officials said would stave off cuts and provide an additional $500,000 in annual revenue, Beal said.

Both sides found common ground on medical benefits Tuesday. The district had initially offered a yearly per person spending cap of $19,500, but both sides agreed this week to a 85/15 cost share, a 5% increase in favor the district from the current contract.

That concession by teachers was in line with the recommendation from a third-party mediator that said in a report last month that the district could offer a 12% increase but teachers should assume more of their healthcare costs.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates.

You can reach Staff Writer Chantelle Lee at 707-521-5337 or chantelle.lee@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @ChantelleHLee. You can reach Staff Writer Yousef Baig at 707-521-5390 or yousef.baig@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @YousefBaig.