Support workers in the Hemet Unified School District would get a 4 percent raise if the school board approves the proposal when it meets today. The 4 percent is on top of another 4 percent the workers agreed to in April and are already receiving. The salary increase follows a recent deal between the district and the Hemet Teachers Association calling for an 8 percent salary increase for educators, retroactive to August, plus an additional 2 percent next school year and an increase in the amount of money the district pays toward health benefits. The salary increases are tied together, said Denise Jensen, field director for the California School Employees Association, which represents school workers who are not teachers. “There’s language in our contract that we will not receive anything less than other employee groups,” Jensen said. Members of the Hemet chapter of the CSEA agreed to the initial raise last spring as teachers continued to negotiate with the district over salary and class sizes. Those talks stretched into January, and both sides prepared for a strike before a settlement was reached. The original agreement with the CSEA was for three years, retroactive to July 2013. Beside the raise, each employee received a cash bonus of up to $1,000. The new deal covers only the current school year. Known as classified workers, jobs include classroom aides, secretaries, food service and maintenance workers and bus drivers. Many of the jobs are part time, and salaries range from $11 to $40 per hour. Jensen said it will be be up to the local chapter to decide if it will seek a raise covering next year. Local union and school district representatives could not be reached for comment Monday. The salary increase also covers district administrators, school principals and other workers not represented by a union. Superintendent Barry Kayrell’s salary will be increased 4 percent to $236,140 while the scale for assistant superintendents will range from $143,000 to $166,000. The raises will cost the district $1.7 million for the current school year. The teachers’ raise cost $8.4 million this year and will cost $3.3 million next. The board meeting begins at 6:30 p.m. at the district office, 1791 W. Acacia Ave.
Board to weigh school support workers’ raise
Support workers in the Hemet Unified School District would get a 4 percent raise if the school board approves the proposal when it meets today. The 4 percent is on top of another 4 percent the workers agreed to in April and are already receiving. The salary increase follows a recent deal between the district and the Hemet Teachers Association calling for an 8 percent salary increase for educators, retroactive to August, plus an additional 2 percent next school year and an increase in the amount of money the district pays toward health benefits. The salary increases are tied together, said Denise Jensen, field director for the California School Employees Association, which represents school workers who are not teachers. “There’s language in our contract that we will not receive anything less than other employee groups,” Jensen said. Members of the Hemet chapter of the CSEA agreed to the initial raise last spring as teachers continued to negotiate with the district over salary and class sizes. Those talks stretched into January, and both sides prepared for a strike before a settlement was reached. The original agreement with the CSEA was for three years, retroactive to July 2013. Beside the raise, each employee received a cash bonus of up to $1,000. The new deal covers only the current school year. Known as classified workers, jobs include classroom aides, secretaries, food service and maintenance workers and bus drivers. Many of the jobs are part time, and salaries range from $11 to $40 per hour. Jensen said it will be be up to the local chapter to decide if it will seek a raise covering next year. Local union and school district representatives could not be reached for comment Monday. The salary increase also covers district administrators, school principals and other workers not represented by a union. Superintendent Barry Kayrell’s salary will be increased 4 percent to $236,140 while the scale for assistant superintendents will range from $143,000 to $166,000. The raises will cost the district $1.7 million for the current school year. The teachers’ raise cost $8.4 million this year and will cost $3.3 million next. The board meeting begins at 6:30 p.m. at the district office, 1791 W. Acacia Ave.