Labor Relations
This page is designed to provide our staff and community with information, resources, and progress reports relevant to contract negotiations taking place between the South San Francisco Unified School District (SSFUSD) and the South San Francisco Classroom Teachers Association (CTA) and the California School Employees Association (CSEA) local #197.
California School Employees Association (CSEA)
Status of Negotiations
February 7, 2023 - Agreement Reached
The District and the South San Francisco California School Employee Association ("Association") met again on February 7. At this meeting, the District and Association reached a tentative agreement on Out of Classification Assignments, Compensation, Longevity, Holidays and Effects of Layoffcs. Our tentative agreement included a 5% salary increase retroactive to July 1, 2022, a 5% salary increase beginning in July 1, 2023 and a 3% salary increase beginning in July 1, 2024. In addition, the tentative agreement included language the effects of classified layoffs. Our tentative agreement will be brought to our Board of Trustees at the February 23, 2023 Meeting if the Associtaion's unit members approve this tentative agreement.
January 25, 2023
The District and the South San Francisco California School Employee Association ("Association") met on January 25. At this meeting, the District and Association shared their counter proposals on Article 6 - Out of Classification Assignments, Article 7 - Compensation and Benefits, Article 8 - Longevity, Article 12 - Holidays and Article16 - Effects of Layoff. We reached a tentative agreement on Article 12 - Holidays and Article 16 - Effects of Layoff. The teams agreed to meet again on February 7, 2023.
January 10, 2023
The District and the South San Francisco California School Employee Association ("Association") met on January 10. At this meeting, the District and Association shared their initial proposals on Article 6 - Out of Classification Assignments, Article 7 - Compensation and Benefits, Article 8 - Longevity, Article 12 - Holidays and Article16 - Effects of Layoff. We reached a tentative agreement on Article 12 - Holidays and Article 16 - Effects of Layoff. The teams agreed to meet again on Janaury 25, 2023.
South San Francisco Classroom Teachers Association (CTA)
Status of Negotiations
November 18, 2022 - Agreement Reached
The District and the South San Francisco Classroom Teacher Association ("Association") met again on November 18. At this meeting, the District and Association reached a tentative agreement on Compensation, Teaching Hours and TK Class size. Our tentative agreement included a 5% salary increase retroactive to July 1, 2022, a 5% salary increase beginning in July 1, 2023 and a 3% salary increase beginning in July 1, 2024. In addition, the tentative agreement included language regarding Special Education Preschool lunch period and TK class cap size. Our tentative agreement will be brought to our Board of Trustees at the December 15, 2022 Meeting if CTA unit members approve this tentative agreement.
October 28, 2022
The District and the South San Francisco Classroom Teacher Association ("Association") met again on October 28. At this meeting, the District and Association discussed a side letter of agreement on safety concerns regarding COVID19 and a Memorandum of Understanding regarding Virtual Independent Study Instruction for the 2022-23 School year. The District and Association reached agreement on both the Side Letter and Memorandum of Understanding. The teams are scheduled to meet on Janaury 6, 2023 to continue contract negotiations.
May 25, 2022
The District and the South San Francisco Classroom Teacher Association ("Association") met again on May 25, 2022. At this meeting, the District and Association continued to exchange prooposals. The District and Association reached tentative agreement on some contract language. The teams agreed to meet in the Fall of 2022.
May 12, 2022
The District and the South San Francisco Classroom Teacher Association ("Association") met again on May 12, 2022. At this meeting, the District and Association continued to exchange prooposals. The District had a counter to the Associations proposal regarding Articles 7, 8, and 12. The Association countered the District proposal on these articles. The District and Association reached tentative agreement on some contract language. The teams plan to meet again on May 25, 2022.
May 5, 2022
The District and the South San Francisco Classroom Teacher Association ("Association") met on May 5. At this meeting, the District and Association shared their initial proposals on Article 7 - Compensation and Benefits, Article 8 - Teaching Hours and Aricle 12 - Class Sizes. The teams agreed to meet again on May 12, 2022.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are teachers currently working without a contract?
No, the current teacher contract is still in place.
The district has implemented the usual automatic step and column pay increases for longevity and continuing education credits for all employees still moving up the salary schedule. A majority of our teachers received a step and/or column increase this year.
With the exception of Steps 17 and 22, this is equivalent to an average of approximately 3.16% salary increase per year, and it has been reflected in their paychecks. See below.
What is the average pay of teachers at SSFUSD?
The average salary of teachers in SSFUSD in 2020-21 is $82,932. This is an increase of $2,545 from 2019-20 due to a 3% raise in 2020-21. The $82,932 does not include the district’s contribution toward employee health and retirement benefits. With the district’s contribution to retirement and health benefits, the total comes to an average of $109,874 per teacher
Between the 2014-15 and 2021-22 school years (8 years), teacher salaries increased by 30.50%. With medical and other employee compensation, this percentage goes up to 36.22%. See below.
• 2014-2015 – 5.00% salary increase
• 2015-2016 – 5.00% salary increase
• 2016-2017 – 7.00% salary increase
• 2017-2018 – 2.00% salary increase
• 2018-2019 – 3.25% salary increase
• 2019-2020 – 2.25% salary increase
• 2020-2021 – 3.00% salary increase
• 2021-2022 – 3.00% salary increase
Have certificated employees recently received raises?
Yes, SSFUSD certificated members received the same raise as all other employees in the prior year. All employees received a 3% salary schedule increase for 2021-22.
Over the past seven years, certificated employees have received a total salary increase of 33.22% or approximately $16 million.
Do teachers work the entire calendar year?
No, teachers are contracted to work when school is in session. Per the collective bargaining agreement, teachers work 180 days out of the 365 days in a calendar year. They are also paid for three professional development days, which they are required to attend, and three non-student contact days.
Are teacher salaries in SSFUSD competitive with neighboring districts?
Yes, SSFUSD teacher salaries fall in the mid-range as compared to neighboring districts. SSFUSD is ranked 11th out of 24 school districts San Mateo County on starting salaries. On highest salary, SSFUSD is ranked 14 out of 24 school districts. See the salary analysis presentation for more details.
What is the per diem or hourly rate for teachers at SSFUSD?
Of the 469 teachers in the district, 177 (38%) of the teachers make more than $75 per hour and 424 (90%) make more than $50 per hour. Twenty-four teachers receive the top salary, which is $89.44 per hour.
Does the district provide other benefits to its employees beyond salaries?
Yes, the district contributes to employee health and retirement benefits. The district contributes approximately $11,000 a year towards the cost of medical, dental, vision and life for its employees. In addition, the district contributes $17 for every $100 paid in teacher salaries to the California State Teacher’s Retirement System (CalSTRS) for pensions.
Can teachers increase their pay outside of the salary schedule?
Yes, teachers have the opportunity to increase their annual salary by teaching during summer school and after school (e.g., homework/academic centers) during the school year.
Does the district have a large reserve available for employee raises?
No, the district has reserve funds set aside for required state and district designations and to balance its budget for three years. School districts are required by the state to balance their budget for the current year as well as the next
two years.
two years.
After designating the reserve funds to meet state requirements and future district obligations for all three years, SSFUSD is barely able to balance all three years’ budgets. In fact, the district is projecting to cut expenditures by $1 million in each of the three years in order to balance the budgets, unless additional revenue can be found.
What happens when labor and management can’t reach an agreement during negotiations?
The state law that created collective bargaining rights for public employees also contains a mandatory impasse resolution process. If it becomes clear that the district and union bargaining teams cannot reach a mutually acceptable agreement through standard negotiations, either one or both of the parties may ask the state to
intervene.
intervene.
The regional director of the Public Employment Relations Board (PERB) is asked to issue a formal declaration of impasse. When this happens, PERB assigns a neutral mediator from a list that has been approved by both parties provided by the state mediation and conciliation service. The impartial mediator then facilitates all talks between the two teams.