LOS ANGELES — The Los Angeles school district and the teachers union have reached a tentative agreement that provides a 21% wage increase over about three years, averting the potential of a second strike this school year.
The package also calls for additional pay increases in areas where it has been hard to recruit staff. These include an added $20,000 salary bump for nurses and $3,000 ongoing for school psychologists, psychiatric social workers, attendance counselors and other special services providers. All of these workers are represented by the United Teachers Los Angeles union.
The pact also includes an extra $2,500 ongoing increase for special education teachers and a $1,500 ongoing raise for early education teachers. There’s long been a shortage of permanent teachers for students with disabilities. The early education field is growing with the expansion of transitional kindergarten as an optional grade for all 4-year-olds.
