SALEM, Ore. — Salem-Keizer teachers reached a tentative agreement with the district on a new two-year contract, avoiding a strike, the two sides announced Tuesday morning.
The teachers union and district leaders bargained for nearly a year on a new collective bargaining agreement. The biggest sticking point in negotiations was over teacher workload.
“I’m relieved," Kelly Young, a Salem-Keizer parent, said. "I’m relieved for our teachers.”
On Tuesday, the union said in a statement that the new deal makes investments in "school safety, educator workload and scheduling" and a "new start on addressing class size."
Teachers will learn specific details about the new contract at townhalls over the coming weeks, after which they'll vote to ratify the new deal. No date has been set for ratification, the union said. Both union members and the Salem-Keizer school board must ratify the agreement before it takes effect.
"When educators began this bargain back April of 2023, we knew our contract needed to be revamped from the bottom up, and that's what tonight's tentative agreement represents — a new start for students and educators in Salem," said Tyler Scialo-Lakeberg, president of the Salem-Keizer Education Association (SKEA). "There is always more to do to build the schools our students deserve, but these new investments in school safety, educator workload and scheduling, and this new start on addressing class size mark a paradigm shift in how our public schools will operate on a day-to-day basis."
SKEA Vice President Maraline Ellis said bargaining was difficult and gave credit to teachers for standing firm.
"SKEA members fought hard and used their collective voice — attending rallies, testifying at school board meetings and this week's successful strike vote — to secure the best contract possible for students and educators," Ellis said.
Salem-Keizer Public Schools reported some new details about the new contract in a news release Tuesday morning. The district said the total value of the new contract is $42.5 million over two years. It includes a 9.75% increase for teachers over the two years, plus a one-time bonus payment.
“We were pleased, grateful and excited to reach an agreement,” Salem-Keizer Superintendent Andrea Castañeda said.
Still, the district is facing more than a $30 million deficit, Castañeda said. Hundreds of positions will be cut in the coming weeks.
“I can tell you that this will be the largest budget cut in over a decade,” Castañeda said.
Some parents told KGW that while they're happy a deal was reached, more needs to be done for students and teachers.
“This is really a Band-Aid fix," Jane Titchenal, a parent, said. "I really hope our state looks at the finances and the resources and really chooses to increase that for Oregon.”
Here are other details of the new tentative deal, as reported by the district:
Cost and break-down
Total value of today’s agreement: $42.5M
- In across-the-board increases (not including step): $15.8M
- In one-time payments: $19.3M
- In insurance: $2.8M
- In additional differentials: $4.6M
Rates of pay and benefits
- A one-time retention bonus of $6,000 for full-time eligible staff within 10 days of ratification; $3,000 for less than half-time eligible staff
- A 9.75% salary increase over the next two years of the contract
- 6.25% in Year 1 retroactive to Jan. 1, 2024
- 3.5% in Year 2
- Increases in differentials for special education teachers and bilingual and dual language educators
- An additional $100 per month toward insurance costs in the next year
Working conditions
- Prioritization of elementary class ratio with an increase to $600,000 in annual budget to help remedy elementary class sizes that exceed ratio
- Creation of teacher leader roles at every school that expand teacher voice and offer a payment of $2,500 per teacher leader
- Clarity around the definition of FTE
- An increase in employee-directed time, especially for elementary teachers
- Increase of 60 minutes of prep time per week for elementary teachers and the assignment of additional educator-directed time throughout the school week and year
- Process protections to create a reliable and predictable 40-hour work week
- Reduction of limits on use of personal leave during the school year
Other items
- Increase per employee to $1,500 per year with an increased budget of $500,000
- Increased protections and safeguards to limit student-caused injury
"We are pleased to reach a fair and respectful contract that recognizes the quality and commitment of our educators," said Superintendent Andrea Castañeda. "In reaching this agreement, we demonstrate that shared interests and a determination to stay at the table can lead to fair and responsible contracts, overcoming differences that arise, even in dire economic circumstances."
More than 94% of Salem-Keizer's voting members voted in favor of a strike authorization on March 22, with over 99% of members in the union casting a vote. The union said at the time that if a deal wasn't reached, the teachers could strike in the first or second weeks of April.
“I think that it’s very important that our teachers get the respect they deserve for the time they’re putting in,” Young said.
The tentative agreement on a new deal ends that threat, assuring that students won't have interruptions to their education. Karina Guzman-Ortiz, board chair for the Salem-Keizer school board, said Tuesday that it took commitment from both sides to get this deal across the finish line and that the next priority needs to be demanding a better education funding from state lawmakers.
"The tentative agreement reached today represents months of hard work by both our district leadership and our licensed association. We are thankful for the commitment on all sides to keep our students in school," Guzman-Ortiz said. "In the coming months, we invite our unions, our families and our community to join us in demanding a better funding model for Oregon’s children."