The Eugene 4J School District and teachers’ union have reached a tentative agreement on a new contract. The negotiations wrapped up around midnight Thursday.
The agreement includes a 4% cost of living adjustment each year, retroactive to the beginning of the current school year. A spokesperson for the Eugene Education Association says while the salary does not keep up with current inflation, they were able to reach a number of agreements that improve learning for students.
Those include equal prep time across school levels, protected time for feedback, and support for special programs like language immersion and career technical education.
The three-year agreement will be ratified later this month.
Major contract provisions that have been tentatively agreed to include:
• Salary increases with a COLA (cost of living increase) of 4% each year in 2021–22, 2022–23 and 2023–24, in addition to annual step increases for experience
• Health insurance increases, raising the district's monthly payment toward each member's health coverage by $30 in 2021–22, $30 in 2022–23, and $30 in 2023–24
• Paid time off, raising from 2 to 3 the number of paid personal leave days for each licensed staff member each year
• Other agreements reached earlier in bargaining, including compensation for educators engaged in language immersion, career technical education, special education, athletics, affinity groups and outdoor school.
The collective bargaining agreement applies to 4J’s teachers and licensed specialists such as counselors, nurses and librarians.
