Agreement includes common calendar, student learning time, teacher salary increases
Eugene School District 4J has agreed on a 3-year contract with our teachers’ union. The agreement maintains a full school year, moves toward a consistent school schedule with more learning time for many students, increases elementary preparation time, supports special education, and provides salary increases each year, all while containing cost increases to avoid impacting class sizes.
Important provisions of the new contract agreement include:
- New common calendar for all 4J schools will provide more learning time for many students, consistent schedules and equitable instruction time regardless of zip code
- Elementary teachers will have more preparation time during the school day, and students will have more PE, music or other specialized instruction time
- Competitive compensation will continue with salary increases for every teacher every year: 2.1% COLA (cost of living increase) in 2017–18 • 1.8% COLA in 2018–19 • 2.0% COLA in 2019–20
The contract update has been agreed by the Eugene School District 4J and the Eugene Education Association bargaining teams, ratified by teachers and approved by the school board.
“We are pleased to have reached a deal with our largest employee group, our skilled and dedicated teachers and licensed specialists,” says Christine Nesbit, district in-house counsel and lead negotiator. “This hard-won contract agreement represents a true compromise, with each side giving and gaining on important issues.”
“It took time to reach this compromise, but the end result was worth it,” adds Superintendent Gustavo Balderas. “We’re pleased to have an agreement that supports our valued teachers and achieves our district’s key goals, all within our school district’s limited resources. Now we need to move forward and turn those conceptual improvements into real change for our teachers and students.”
School board chair Eileen Nittler notes, “The biggest winners are our students and families, who will have more learning time, more consistent schedules, and better-prepared teachers to support their learning.”
The collective bargaining agreement applies to 4J’s teachers and other licensed professionals, such as school nurses and counselors, who are represented by the Eugene Education Association (EEA).
