MANHATTAN BEACH : Teachers to Vote on 3% Salary Bonus Proposal

Manhattan Beach teacher representatives tentatively accepted a contract proposal after months of wrangling with district administrators.

The representatives agreed last week to an offer that includes 3% salary bonuses for all instructors in both the 1994-95 and 1995-96 school years. The teachers overwhelmingly rejected an offer in May that would have left nearly one-third of them without a raise for a third year.

In addition, the proposal retains the elementary art, music and physical education specialists as well as preparation time for elementary school teachers.

Teachers, who earn $25,000 to $51,000 a year, will vote on the proposal next month before the start of fall classes, said Supt. Gerald F. Davis. The board of education planned to vote on the proposal Wednesday night.

Manhattan Beach Unified officials said in May they could not afford salary increases because Of a $1.5-million cut in state funding and a projected deficit.

But Davis said the district will pay $600,000 in bonuses with interest earned from a fund created by the sales of school sites. Under the proposal, the bonuses will not be added to the teachers’ salary schedules, but a 3% bonus for teachers last year will be added to the schedules, Davis said.