El Monte : Teachers Win Pay Hike

Officials of the El Monte City School District agreed this week to give teachers a four-month, 3% pay increase, ending almost nine months of sometimes-bitter negotiations.

The raise will cover the period from March 1 to June 30, according to Joyce Roebuck, assistant superintendent of personnel and the district’s chief negotiator. The agreement also includes a one-time $300 payment from lottery funds to each of the 470 teachers covered as a reimbursement for personal money they may have spent on classroom materials, she said.

Teachers routinely have packed school board meetings since negotiations began, complaining about the district’s refusal to offer any salary hike while a state-appointed fact-finder had recommended a 3.5% raise.

The teachers and the school board are expected to ratify the agreement later this month. The current contract expires June 30, when negotiators from both sides will begin discussing a new contract, including non-salary benefits.