CONEJO VALLEY : Agreement Reported on Teachers Contract

After a marathon negotiating session this week, representatives from the Conejo Valley Unified School District and the teachers union have agreed to a contract that includes more money for teachers, according to union officials.

The agreement includes a 3.2% raise, 1% bonus and expansion of the early retirement program, union officials said.

The contract, which would be retroactive to July 1 and runs to June 30, 1998, must still be ratified by union members and the school board.

Union leaders have scheduled a vote Oct. 25. Board members must hold a public hearing before approving the contract.

District officials said they would not comment on the contract until it has been ratified but are scheduled to release some details at tonight’s board meeting.

Hal Vick, executive director of the union, said this year’s negotiations have run more smoothly than ever.

“Our goal was to have people made whole, and this contract does that,” Vick said. “But whether it’s really a raise or not, it’s hard to say.”

Teachers took a 3% pay cut last year when the district was faced with financial problems. Prior to that, teachers were working under a contract that gave them a 20% pay raise over three years. The average teacher in the district makes about $45,000 a year.

“Before we took the pay cut, we were No. 1 in Ventura County in teacher’s salaries,” Vick said. “This puts us back in that position.”