Marin education office, teachers reach tentative contract deal

The three-year agreement, which covers about 60 employees, includes annual increases in pay and health care benefits.

The Marin County Office of Education and the union that represents the county’s special education and alternative education teachers have reached a tentative agreement on a new three-year contract.

The pact, which was ratified by 100% of union members earlier this month, calls for a $12,000-per-person salary increase for 2024-25. For part-time employees, the salary increase will be prorated.

The agreement also calls for 5% wage increases in 2025-26 and 2026-27. Separate salary schedules were also approved for school nurses, speech and language pathologists and other specialists.

The Marin Board of Education will vote on whether to approve the contract at its meeting on Tuesday. The contract would take effect July 1.

John Carroll, Marin superintendent of schools, said county teachers had fallen behind other Marin educators over the last three years while the union’s current three-year contract, which expires June 30, was in effect and was not subject to reopening.

“I am delighted that we were able to negotiate a fair deal with the union before the contract expired,” Carroll said.

Carroll said the education office “needed to catch up with other employers who have increased compensation in recent years while our contract was closed.”

“Lately it has been challenging for us to attract highly qualified applicants — the new agreement should help a lot,” he said.

The union, the Marin County Educators Association, represents about 60 teachers and specialists who work at Marin’s Community School, an alternative school in San Rafael, and at various special education classes the county runs throughout Marin.

Betsy Laflamme, a bargaining team member for the union, said the new contract, which raises the starting salary from $58,024 to more than $70,000, will help in hiring special ed teachers.

“Starting pay for Marin County educators was the lowest in the county, ranking 17 out of 17 Marin school districts,” Laflamme said. “We could not recruit and retain high-quality educators in Marin County.”

Two special education classes had to be closed this past school year “due to the resignation of teachers and the inability to restaff the positions,” Laflamme said. “With a new starting salary of over $70,000, we can compete and attract the best educators for our students.”

The contract also calls for an increase in the county’s contribution to the teachers’ health care benefits from $1,074 per month to $1,750 monthly for the 2024-2025 school year. The contribution, which will rise to $1,875 in 2025-26 and $2,033 in 2026-27, covers health, dental, vision and life insurance.

“I am very happy that the union was willing to accept a compensation package that included improvements in benefits and not just salary,” Carroll said. “That should help us attract more applicants.”

Carroll said he was glad to “achieve a total compensation increase that keeps us above the median in Marin County, but not so high that school districts will find our services unaffordable.”

“I believe a multiyear contract improves morale better than anything else,” he added. “A long-term agreement supports a collegial relationship with our amazing staff and makes it easier to focus on what we do best — serve our students.”

Melody Robinson, another union bargaining team member, said the high cost of housing in Marin forces her and other educators to live outside the county and commute long distances.

“I live in Oakland and cannot afford to live in Marin County, so I commute one hour each way and pay a bridge toll,” she said. “I stay at my job because I believe in my students, and they deserve the best education.”

A $12,000-a-year salary increase “is life-changing for most, if not all, our members,” Robinson said.

“This raise will allow me to continue doing what I love: working with Marin County students,” she said.