SANTA PAULA : School Workers to Receive 2% Raise

Employees of the Santa Paula Union High School District will receive a 2% raise next year and will have a greater say in school decisions, district and union officials said Tuesday after agreement was reached on a new three-year contract.

Under terms of the pact, which will take effect July 1, the district’s 57 teachers and 49 non-teaching personnel are assured of receiving a raise only during the first year, said Tahir Ahad, the district’s finance director.

Base salaries after the first year will range from $25,090 for beginning teachers to $46,420 for senior teachers, Ahad said.

“The goal would be to make it permanent if the money becomes available,” said Ahad, who added that the district hopes to raise salaries by at least 5% over the life of the contract. Negotiators will review the district’s finances each April before agreeing on future raises, Ahad said.

As part of the new agreement, teachers and other personnel will have a chance to influence decisions--a first for the district.

“We’re looking forward to playing a much greater role in making decisions,” said Bruce McCormick, an American government teacher and negotiator for the local chapter of the California Federation of Teachers.

He called the contract the best possible, given the financial straits schools are in.

McCormick credited the open and democratic bargaining philosophy of Ahad and Supt. Carolina L. Erie for creating trust during the negotiations. “It was a real democratic process,” he said. “Everyone had equal say.”

Ahad said both sides made their interests clear during negotiations while avoiding fixed demands.

He predicted further cooperation.