San Diego Unified School District, San Diego Education Association reach three-year tentative agreement on 2018-19 contract

SAN DIEGO (KUSI) — San Diego Unified School District teachers would receive a two percent raise and paid maternity leave under a tentative contract agreement reached Wednesday.

The district and the San Diego Education Association reached the agreement at 1:40 a.m. after a 16-hour bargaining session that culminated a year of negotiations. The agreement must be ratified by union members and the San Diego school board in order to take effect.

“We worked diligently with our partners at the San Diego Education Association to reach an agreement that will support the success of all our students,” said Superintendent Cindy Marten. “This agreement will help compensate our teachers for their hard work, while also helping the district attract and retain new educators.”

The three-year agreement calls for a two percent raise for the 2018-19 school year. Union employees would also be given a one-time payment equivalent to 1 percent of their salary in August as part of a settlement for outstanding grievances.

Paid maternity leave would be provided for workers who have been with the district for at least one year.

“We won three weeks of paid maternity leave, making us one of only three districts in the county to have it,” according to a union statement that also touted as victories the preservation of fully paid family health care for three years and tentative agreements that would improve class size.