The Natomas Teachers’ Union last night reached a tentative agreement with school district officials that could halt an imminent state takeover.
“No one wanted to see our district taken over by the state. This settlement should help the district avoid taking that action,” said NTA President Cynthia Connell.
Teachers have agreed to seven furlough days for the 2011-12 school year and larger class sizes as part of the tentative contract agreement. Other changes to contract language are also part of the tentative agreement.
Union members are set to vote in January on the contract before it goes to the Natomas school board for approval and sent to the Sacramento County Office of Education for a final O.K.
The concessions amount to 7.9 percent in pay cuts the school district sought from all employees to offset an $8.9 million cash-flow shortage which would have required the district take out a multi-million dollar loan and come with strict state oversight.
“Natomas teachers and Natomas students are not the cause of this district’s financial problems,” said Connell. “Yet, teachers and their students are paying for this fiscal crisis every time we step into our classrooms.”
Natomas superintendent Bobbie Plough has said she hoped tentative contract agreements with employee groups would be enough to stop bankruptcy proceedings started earlier this month after the district failed to show positive cash flow for the 2011-12 school year.
District management previously agreed to a 7.9 percent pay cut. Negotiations with the classified employees union continued Wednesday.
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