San Juan Capistrano : Teachers to Vote on 5.8% Pay-Hike Proposal

Teachers in the Capistrano Unified School District will vote early next week on whether to ratify a two-year contract tentatively agreed to by union representatives and district negotiators.

The district’s 735 teachers have been working without a contract since June 30 as negotiations continued between the district and the Capistrano Unified Educators Assn.

Terms of the tentative contract, set for approval at an Oct. 7 meeting of the school board, were agreed upon Friday night. Ric Stephenson, president of the Capistrano Unified Educators Assn., said union members would vote on the contract next Monday afternoon.

The $2.6-million package includes a 5.4% across-the-board salary increase for teachers, which will cost about $1.4 million.

The average teacher employed by the district nows earns $29,930 a year, exclusive of fringe benefits, according to Corene Barr, a district spokeswoman.

The contract would bring the average salary to $31,546. In addition to wage and benefit increases for teachers, the school district has agreed to reduce the size of elementary school classes from 30 students to 28. Barr said the proposal, to take effect next September, will necessitate the hiring of additional teachers to handle the new classes.