AUSD and AEA Sign Tentative Agreements, Avert Strike

AEA members will see a 10% salary increase over three years with a 2% bonus, plus increased health benefits

On Friday afternoon, the Alameda Unified School District (AUSD) released a statement declaring it had reached tentative agreements with the Alameda Education Association (AEA).

Following a third mediation session on February 11, the bargaining teams agreed on all contract articles that had been opened, including salary and benefits.

The agreement applies to all members of the AEA, the union representing teachers, nurses, speech and language pathologists, school psychologists, and counselors and will avert the AEA’s threat to strike if an agreement was not reached.

The AUSD and the AEA have been negotiating since January of last year. The union declared it had reached an impasse in November, which led to three mediation sessions with a neutral mediator appointed by the state’s Public Employee Relations Board (PERB).

In the third and final mediation session earlier this week, both teams tentatively agreed to a 10% increase plus a 2% bonus over the next three years, with yearly increases as follows:

• In 2025-26
  • A 6% increase comprised of:
    • A 4% ongoing raise of which,
      • 3% is retroactive to July 1, 2025, and
      • 1% is retroactive to January 1, 2026.
    • A 2% one-time bonus (which will distributed as $2,160 to each member).
• In 2026-27
  • A 3% ongoing raise.
• In 2027-28
  • A guaranteed 3% ongoing raise, and
    • If the COLA is between 3% and 3.99%, AEA members will receive that amount in a raise.
    • If the COLA is more than 4%, the two teams will reopen salary negotiations.

Also under the terms of the agreement, the AUSD’s contribution to AEA members’ health benefits would increase to the following amounts:

• Effective January 1, 2026
  • $1,168 per month for individual (employee-only) coverage.
• Effective July 1, 2026
  • $1,700 per month for an employee plus one dependent or an “employee family” (two dependents).
• Effective January 1, 2027
  • $1,500 per month for employee-only plans.​​​​​​​
• Effective January 2, 2028
  • • $1,800 per month for an employee plus one dependent or an “employee family” (two dependents).

AUSD asserts its contribution for individual plans will have grown by nearly 40% and its contribution to employee family plans will have increased 76% by January 2028. The AUSD also declared that the salary increases for 2025-26 and 2026-27 are significantly higher than the 2.3% cost of living adjustments (COLA) that the state is providing school districts this year and the 2.4% the state is estimating for next year according to the California Department of Education’s LCFF COLA web page.

“To provide these significant increases in salary and benefits, we have chosen to use select one-time funds in a way that does carry some long-term financial risk,” AUSD Superintendent Pasquale Scuderi stated. “In part, we’ll be spending down a portion of the cushion we maintain to protect the district in case of a sudden or long-term economic downturn. We’re also pre-committing any additional one-time money coming to the district in the next few years to support this agreement. But by structuring this as a three-year deal, we feel this can be doable and that we are being both fair to our employees and fiscally responsible.”

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In total, the two teams agreed on 14 articles related to recognition, leaves, professional dues, work hours, evaluation, unit member safety, secondary department chairs, association rights, class size, transfer, salary, health & welfare, adult school, special education, and stipends. The next step will be for AEA members to vote first and then AUSD’s Board of Education to vote on whether to ratify the tentative agreement. The financial terms must also be approved by the Alameda County Office of Education.

When the Alameda Post reached out to the AEA, representatives stated, “This Tentative Agreement is a big win for our schools. We are thankful to our bargaining team, our membership, and our community for showing up and leading us to win a fair contract. This agreement with Alameda Unified School District reflects over one year of conversation, negotiation, and hard work. Over the next 18 months, our members will receive a 10% raise that reflects how valued educators are in Alameda, and significantly increased contributions to health care costs, enabling more of us to stay in Alameda and focus our efforts on what matters most – our students and classrooms. Our students with the most needs will also get support from this contract, in the form of class size caps in ELD, more balanced workloads for Education Specialists who support students with disabilities, and caps on class overages.

“Without everyone’s voices, we wouldn’t have achieved this win for our students, schools, and community – thank you to those who spoke, and to those who listened to our stories.”

“The bargaining process requires dedication from both parties to reach meaningful agreement,” asserted Tim Erwin, Assistant Superintendent of Human Resources and AUSD’s Bargaining Chair. “Countless hours are spent preparing and negotiating. It isn’t always easy—effective bargaining takes perseverance and a careful eye for detail. I want to express my sincere appreciation to the members of the AEA and District bargaining teams for their hard work and collaboration in achieving these agreements.”

“This has been a challenging process,” Scuderi said. “As a district, we understand the struggles our teachers are having here in the Bay Area. The glaring insufficiencies of our public education finance system at the state and federal levels create pronounced challenges and unnecessary tensions between teachers, administrators, and board members. “Despite that, we know that it’s our responsibility to work locally with our bargaining partners in a respectful and creative way to come to solutions. I am grateful to both teams for their persistence, to our Board for their durability and commitment, and to everyone involved for their willingness to collaborate within a difficult set of circumstances and constraints.”

“The Board approached these negotiations with seriousness and resolve,” added AUSD Board of Education President, Ryan LaLonde. “We were determined to reach a fair agreement without compromising the district’s financial future. The result—a 10% raise over three years, a bonus, and full coverage of the current cost of individual healthcare premiums—is a major commitment. Leadership requires making difficult decisions, and this was one. Now we move forward, together, with the responsibility of making this investment sustainable.”

This is a developing story. Stay with the Alameda Post for further coverage.
Updated at 4:52 p.m. to include AEA statement.