District Increases Raise Offer, Adjusts Pupil-Free Days

District Increases Raise Offer, Adjusts Pupil-Free Days

Bargaining teams for the Long Beach Unified School District and the Teachers Association of Long Beach met Friday, Feb. 24 and continue to work toward an agreement. 

Compensation

The District increased its salary offer from 8% ongoing and 2% one-time raises, to 8% ongoing and 3% one-time raises. A number of factors have been used to determine a fair compensation offer, including the cost of living adjustment (COLA), ongoing declines in enrollment, and the increased cost of both employee health benefits and pension contributions.

Pupil-Free Days

Based on the needs of our students and feedback from teachers and administrators, the District previously proposed adding four pupil-free days to provide staff the opportunity for collaboration, review of student data, and/or site-based training. At today’s bargaining session, the District proposed phasing in these pupil-free days beginning with three days in the 2024-25 school year, and one additional pupil-free day in the 2025-26 school year. This proposal would affect only current 182-day employees. 

The proposal for the pupil-free days considered many factors including:

• Teachers and administrators requested time to develop and implement site-based training that can be differentiated to meet individual school needs. 
• Teachers need more opportunities to have focused time for collaboration without the concerns of substitute plans and student supervision.
• Scheduling intentional time over the course of the year creates a more meaningful and sustainable experience for staff.
• Neighboring districts across Los Angeles and Orange Counties currently implement pupil-free days that benefit teachers and students.

As stated in the previous Bargaining Update, the added compensation for the fully implemented pupil-free days would be equivalent to a 2.2% salary increase. The 2.2% increase for the additional days was not a factor in determining the compensation offer of 8% ongoing and 3% one-time. 

The next bargaining session is scheduled for March 9, and the District will continue to keep employees informed.