By Anna Pier
(Graph shows entry level salary range for teachers)
Since the opening of the 2025-26 school year, in August, the approximately 200 teachers and certificated staff of the Sonoma Valley Unified School District have been showing up for work in our four elementary schools, the middle school and the high school, without a contract. That is over six months, in a ten-month year. Of these, approximately 192 certificated staff are members of the Valley of the Moon Teachers Association (VMTA), and this union represents all the teachers in negotiations with the District.
Negotiations for the 2025–26 contract began in August 2025. This timeline was delayed due to the challenges and extended negotiations from last year. The two sides met again September 19, October 30, December 9, and in January. After a three-week hiatus due to vacation by Human Resource Director Kristen Ugrin, the District’s lead negotiator, which was then extended due to sick leave, the District has offered to the VMTA team to resume negotiations on March 12.
The VMTA Co-Presidents, Laura Hoban and Richelle Ryan, point out that last year as well the teachers had to work until near the end of the school year before a contract was negotiated. They observe, “Best practice is to begin negotiations the year before a contract expires so there is adequate time to reach agreement before the current contract ends.” The union leaders added that starting late creates unnecessary pressure and increases the likelihood of similar delays in future cycles.
The SVUSD certificated staff are currently working under the terms of the expired contract agreement, including working conditions and compensation. This means they are paid by the rates negotiated for 2024-25. The health care benefits established for ’24-’25 are intact until the current negotiations are concluded.
Still in negotiations with SVUSD for the 2025-26 school year, VMTA leaders stated that this year District management has persistently pursued reducing the teachers’ health insurance coverage. The District proposal would mean higher monthly premiums and higher deductibles for educators, whom union leaders characterized as “already underpaid.”
“In negotiations, we have been taking a stand to protect affordable and quality health insurance for educators.” They continued, “Everyone deserves quality health care for themselves and their families. That principle has been central to the recent educator strikes we’ve seen from the United Teachers of Richmond and United Educators of San Francisco. Instead, SVUSD management is trying to offer low pay and erode our existing health insurance coverage.” The VMTA representatives concluded, “If they want to keep our dedicated educators here, teaching SVUSD students, the District needs to offer a competitive compensation package.”
Hoban and Ryan explained, “Sonoma Valley Unified School District is a “basic aid” school district, which means the District receives more support from the community, based on property taxes, than it would receive from the state. Compared to other Bay Area basic aid Unified School Districts, SVUSD educators are paid at least 30-percent less across all levels of experience. The attached four graphs, which include the North Bay Districts of Healdsburg, Calistoga and St. Helena, illustrate clearly this comparison. “If they reduce our health insurance on top of that, why would educators choose to stay in Sonoma Valley?”
The anger and frustration with the Board of Trustees is apparent in this assertion: “They continue to insist on balancing their budget by picking the pocket of educators. They make irresponsible financial decisions and then use that to demand that educators work more for less.”
Asked what they hear from their membership, Ryan and Hoban replied, “We consistently hear a strong desire to preserve the benefits that support educators and their families. Teachers value stability and want to protect the health benefits they rely on.” The union leaders stated that there is also support for “a modest, responsible COLA ” (Cost of Living Adjustment) that keeps pace with rising costs, in recognition of the financial realities the members face. The union co-presidents pointed out that, “most importantly, our members want any agreement to remain student-centered, ensuring that decisions prioritize classroom conditions, manageable workloads, and the resources necessary to support student learning and success.”
And all this while District teachers watch their number diminish in the last four years with declining enrollment, the closures and resulting consolidations of Dunbar Elementary School, Adele Harrison Middle School and, in June 2026, Prestwood Elementary School. At their February meeting, the SVUSD School Board voted for the potential elimination of 17.8 FTE (Full-Time Employee) positions. Union leaders assert that many of these cuts are a result of the Board’s decision to approve the application of MacArthur Park Charter School. Charter school teachers are not employees of the District, but the District must fund this new charter school with approximately $2.2 million.
The layoffs would potentially impact teachers hired in 2020, based on the seniority list. On or before March 15, any staff member who may be impacted by a Reduction in Force (RIF) must receive a preliminary written notice from the District. If the Board ultimately determines that layoffs are necessary, final notices must be issued by May 15. If a final notice is not provided by that date, the employee is legally entitled to return to their position the following school year. That occurred in 2023, when the Board ‘s delay of the decision to close Dunbar Elementary School meant that, although positions had been cut, teachers had not received appropriate timely notice, so much of the potential savings from the closure were delayed a year.
Seniority is the primary basis for determining the order of layoffs. But the SVUSD Board at its last meeting made a “skip criteria” decision, which allows the District to prioritize certain certifications, credentials, or documented specialized skills that are necessary to maintain specific programs or services. In those cases, a less senior employee may be retained (“skipped”), while a more senior employee may receive a notice. Even when skip criteria are used, the District must be able to clearly justify and document those decisions.
Asked if new Superintendent Jason Sutter, who took office March 1, will participate in the upcoming negotiations, Hoban and Ryan told the Sun that “historically in our district, the Superintendent is not directly involved in contract negotiations.” But they continued, “We are excited to build a productive and collaborative relationship with incoming Superintendent Sutter. At this time, we do not know whether he will be directly involved in contract negotiations. Superintendent Sutter has a history of working collaboratively with all representatives across our School District and brings a broad and diverse range of experience to the role. We look forward to engaging in this important work together.”
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