Orange Unified Teachers to Vote on Contract

Teachers in Orange Unified want to vote on the school district’s latest salary proposal for the upcoming school year, according to the results of a union referendum released late Wednesday.

The district’s final salary proposal would mean substantial raises for some veteran teachers and much smaller raises for beginning teachers. It also would raise the costs of health care benefits for some teachers.

Of the 692 ballots returned, 423 teachers said they want to vote on the contract, and 269 said they want to send the school district’s proposal back to mediation.

A date for the contract vote has not been determined, said officials with the Orange Unified Education Assn., which represents about 1,500 teachers in the district.

Norm Johnson, a 35-year teacher at Villa Park High School, said he wants a chance to vote on the district’s proposal, in part to end several months of bitter negotiations.

“Can we at least get a year of--I was going to say peace, but it won’t be--at least a year of relative calm?” Johnson asked.