Los Angeles Unified Teachers Ratify Contract With 21 Percent Pay Raise, Critics Question Affordability

Los Angeles public school staff, teachers, and supporters rally outside of the school district headquarters on the first day of a three day strike in Los Angeles on March 21, 2023. (Robyn Beck/AFP via Getty Images)

The union representing Los Angeles Unified School District’s (LAUSD) teachers voted to ratify its contract with the district last week, meaning the union’s 35,000 members will get a 21 percent bump in pay over the next two years.

United Teachers of Los Angeles (UTLA) announced that 94 percent of their members voted to ratify the tentative agreement on May 5.

The deal was initially reached on April 18 after ten months of negotiation.

LAUSD Superintendent Alberto Carvalho said on April 18 the agreement aligns with his strategic plan for the district and addresses “years of pay inequity and inflation.”

“This agreement with UTLA is a necessary step not only to make Los Angeles Unified the district of choice for families but also the district of choice for teachers and employees,” Carvalho said in an April 18 statement. “I am grateful that we reached an agreement with UTLA in a manner that reflects the dedicated work of our employees, provides a better academic experience for our students and raises the standards of compensation in Los Angeles and across the country.”

UTLA President Cecily Myart-Cruz said in an April 18 statement that the district “held the line” on several bargaining issues because she thought “educators are the experts” on students’ learning environments and on the “quality of life for LAUSD families.”

“Smaller class sizes will give our kids the attention and care they require, and competitive salaries will ensure our schools can successfully hire, retain and develop successful teachers and educators to mold our young leaders of tomorrow,” Myart-Cruz said.

‘Retroactive’ Pay Raise, Reduced Class Size, More Mental Health Workers

The agreement is set to cover the years 2022–2025, and the district’s teachers will receive a 7 percent “retroactive” pay raise, while the following increases will alternate between 3 percent and 4 percent raises every January and July until January 2025.

The agreement also covers additional pay increases for non-teaching staff—including a $20,000 annual salary increase for nurses, a $3,000 increase for counselors, and a $2,500 increase for special education staff members.

The district also committed to decreasing the size of each classroom by two students and pledged to increase mental health support staff—such as psychiatric social workers, attendance counselors, academic counselors, and school psychologists—for specific campuses where such support is needed.

In the April 18 statement, district officials also noted that these pay raises are in addition to the five percent ongoing wage increase provided in the 2021–2022 school year—adding up to an ongoing salary increase of more than 26 percent from July 1, 2021, through July 1, 2025.

Raise Might Lead to Layoffs Amid Declining Enrollment, Funding: LAUSD Teacher

However, some said the raise is unaffordable to the district amid enrollment drop and funding decline.

LAUSD teacher Yvonne Juarez told The Epoch Times that as a UTLA member, she voted against the contract, saying the district may have trouble paying such wages in the future.

“Enrollment in the district is declining, and the school’s budget is based on enrollment numbers—so the numbers don’t add up to me,” she said.

Juarez said she’s concerned that the district may need to lay off teachers in the future if they can’t come up with the funds.

During the district’s budget planning last June, Carvalho noted that the district is getting less funding and will have to stay “vigilant” in its spending in the coming years—in part due to enrollment decline, which is expected to drop by 30 percent over the next decade, according to the district.

A one-percent decline in enrollment can result in a loss of approximately $55 million in funding for the upcoming school year, according to the budget report.

In addition, Carvalho said at the time he was preparing the district—which received about $5 billion in federal pandemic aid last year—for the time when such funding is no longer available.

The agreement comes one month after SEIU Local 99—the union representing LAUSD’s 30,000 non-teaching staff, including cafeteria workers, bus drivers, custodians, and special education assistants, among others—led a three-day strike that resulted in a 30 percent wage increase and healthcare benefits for its members.