Staff at Ventura Unified win 10% pay raises

Teachers and classified staff at Ventura Unified won 10% raises plus 2% bonuses after the school board approved a contract with its unions last week, the Ventura Star reported.

The agreement came after months of negotiations. The unions initially asked for a raise of 12.84% while the district was offering 1%. In all, the raises will cost the 15,000-student district nearly $12 million.

“I’m very happy with the agreement,” Carol Peek, president of the Ventura Education Support Professionals Association, which represents classified employees, told the Ventura Star. “It was a long, exhausting process, but I’m very grateful that it’s done.”

The pay raise, which covers about 800 teachers and 800 classified staff, is retroactive to July. Administrators, including principals, will also get 10% raises.