IRVINE : Tentative Pact Gives Teachers 3% Pay Raise

Halfway into their fourth school year without a pay increase, Irvine teachers won a 3% raise in a tentative contract agreement reached Friday.

After six weeks of contract talks that threatened to reach impasse, Irvine Unified School District negotiators agreed on the 3% increase for the 1995-96 school year, with an additional 1.5% increase possible if optimistic revenue projections hold up.

The two-year pact also would provide a salary increase for the 1996-97 school year, based on the state cost-of-living adjustment to school district revenues. An additional 1% increase would be contingent on district revenues.

Teachers union President Steve Garretson said an impasse was avoided by the independent validation of the school district’s financial condition.

“We had financial experts on both sides take a look at what the district had,” Garretson said. “I’ve visited seven school sites and received a lot of phone calls from teachers. They’re very happy about this.”

The district’s 1,050 teachers earn an average of $43,000 a year, with new teachers starting at $23,372, Garretson said.

At the beginning of negotiations, teachers were asking for a 5.5% pay increase. The district offered 2%.

School board President Mary Ellen Hadley said the contract agreement helps continue the healing process in a district that was rocked by the county bankruptcy. Irvine Unified had $96 million in the ill-fated county investment pool, more than any other school district.

“This outcome reflects the good relationship that exists between teachers and the district,” Hadley said. “Both sides worked very hard to get an agreement.”