SIMI VALLEY : Teachers’ Raise Tied to Medical Plan

Simi Valley teachers would have to approve a change in their medical plan before they could receive a raise this school year under a proposed contract released Thursday.

Representatives of the Simi Educators Assn. met with about a third of the group’s 600 members to reveal details of the contract.

Any raise would come from about $1 million in savings that would be gained if the Simi Valley Unified School District changes from a self-insured medical plan to one offered by a private company. Union leaders said the raise could be 2% to 4% if the change in benefits is approved. The proposed contract calls for additional negotiations on raises, medical benefits and the number of school days taught for the 1992-93 and 1993-94 school years.

The rest of the contract would be effective for three years.

The contract that expired June 30 gave teachers a 6% raise in 1988-89, a 7% increase in 1989-90 and a 9% raise for the 1990-91 school year. Teachers make $20,559 to $50,484 a year.

Union officials said their decision not to negotiate future raises immediately was based on the state’s financial problems.

“We don’t know what’s going to happen in the future,” said Hal Vick, executive director of the Simi Valley teachers union. “It looks bleak now, but it could get better.”

Vick predicted that union members will approve the contract, but said some were disappointed.

“I don’t think they were crazy about it,” he said.

Teachers will vote on the contract Monday and the school board will consider it Tuesday.

Assistant Supt. Leon Mattingley, who represents the school district on the bargaining team, said the contract was “reasonable for both parties” considering the district received no cost-of-living increase in state funding this year.