Arcadia : Teacher Contract Approved

The Arcadia Unified School District board last week approved a new teachers’ contract that includes a 5% pay raise for teachers.

The one-year pact also includes a less expensive health plan and up to 40% higher stipends for coaches and other special personnel, bringing compensation levels close to the county average.

First-year district teachers will now earn $31,832.

“This is the first time the contract has been settled this early in recent memory. No outside negotiators were involved on either side,” Supt. Terry Towner said.

The agreement also satisfied Caroline Auburn, president of the Arcadia Teachers Union. “It was a great challenge for both sides to resolve this in a way that was amiable,” she said. “Neither side felt like they had given away the shop.”

Teachers voted to ratify the contract Nov. 2. Negotiators had settled on a tentative agreement Oct. 18.