Sonoma school district, teachers union reach tentative deal

Sonoma Valley school teachers will get a retroactive 4% raise for 2018, and 2.5% increase for the new fiscal year beginning July 1, under a tentative agreement reached Friday between The Sonoma Valley Unified School District and the Valley of the Moon Teachers Association.

“It is the District’s goal that all employees will receive their 2018/2019 retroactive salary payment on June 28, 2019,” said Jonathan Ferrer Director, Human Resources, in a District statement.

Terms of the contract include the reduction of  Transitional Kindergarten from 25 to 20 students, and “condensed class size limits for all other teaching positions.”

VMTA rep Renea Magnani declined to comment to The Sun. Previously, in a Facebook post, she said, “As it is now we are 22% below the state average for teacher salaries here in Sonoma.”

The contract expires on June 30, 2021.

“This is truly a great day for Sonoma Valley Unified School District,” Ferrer stated. “The District looks forward to further agreements that will continue to support its employees as they work towards improved outcomes for all District students.”