Larkspur-Corte Madera School District settles 2-year contracts

The Larkspur-Corte Madera School District has approved two-year contracts with both of its major labor unions.

The district’s board of trustees approved the deals on Feb. 10 with the Larkspur-Corte Madera Education Association, which represents teachers and other certificated employees, and the California School Employees Association, which represents classified staff workers. The contracts are for the 2026-27 and 2027-28 fiscal years.

“The negotiations with both associations were very collaborative,” said Brett Geithman, the district’s superintendent. “We have the shared interests of maximizing compensation, while retaining quality programs for our students and ensuring no structural deficit.”

According to the contract terms, both groups of union members will receive 4.51% pay increases the first year and no increases the second.

For the classified staff union, the 4.51% increase will be applied for each worker.

For the teachers union, however, the 4.51% increase is for the union as a whole. Individually, each teacher will receive a $5,000 increase.

“The $5,000 raise is regardless of the years of experience,” Geithman said. “The union wanted everyone to get the $5,000.”

In the current school year, teacher salaries range from $66,588 to $131,090, based on seniority and education credits.

Members of both unions will also receive bonuses, or off-the-salary-schedule payments, of $7,500 in two installments during the 2026-27 school year. The bonus payments will be prorated to each employee’s work hours status — known technically as “full-time equivalents” — during the first year of the contract.

In addition to the salary increases and bonuses, members of both unions will each receive a $1,550 increase on the cap in health and welfare benefits.

Teachers will also receive, effective July 1, 5% increases in stipends for extra-duty positions. In addition, four new stipends will be added to the list: $1,500 for an artificial intelligence lead stipend; $3,000 for PBIS, or positive behavior interventions and supports; and $10,000 for a Hall Middle School leadership lead stipend or a jazz stipend.

The athletics director stipend will be reduced from $5,000 to $3,000.

Amir Movafaghi, the board of trustees president, said the district has been working hard to establish a collaborative approach over the years with its employee unions. That effort has allowed for creative solutions in the current contracts, such as the combination of on- and off-the-salary-schedule increases.

“The trust that we’ve built over the years has really paid off,” Movafaghi said. “We’ve been doing everything we can to advance our goals of remaining competitive on compensation and benefits, and also maintaining fiscal stability for the district.”

The district has an annual budget of about $27 million, 135 employees and about 1,165 students at Henry C. Hall Middle School, Neil Cummins Elementary School and the Cove School.