Teachers to Receive 4 Percent Pay Raise

Teachers of Santa Barbara Unified School District will receive a 4 percent raise retroactive to July 1, 2015, a pay bump tentatively reached on March 3 between the district and the Santa Barbara Teachers Association after months of negotiation.

The district’s original offer included a 2 percent raise retroactive to July 1, with another 2 percent hike this summer, short of the 6 percent initially demanded by the union, which twice declared an impasse.

The new agreement also includes a handful of additional paid professional development days and the formation of a Teaching and Learning Advisory Council, where teachers and administrators work together on technological advances and educational training and materials. The agreement is expected to be ratified later this month.