Negotiations between the union and the school district began in February and ended Monday with relatively little fanfare. In contrast, Desert Sands Unified School District and Coachella Valley Unified School District have had fierce battles with their teachers` unions in recent years. Desert Sands signed a two-year contract in August 2015, after nine months of tension in negotiations and mediation. Cvusd is currently finding facts after the absence of an agreement through the state. “The Board of Directors very much supports the interim agreement… said Mauricio Arellano, Deputy Superintendent of Human Resources. “The negotiations, as they have been conducted consistently over the past 13 years, have been conducted in a respectful and professional manner and have been conducted in common by balancing the needs of teachers and managers to do the best work for all students.” The Palm Springs Unified School District Board will vote on the interim agreement on August 23. As president of the teachers` union, Claggett sympathizes with both sides of the bargaining table and believes that the foundations of the teacher-district relationship will remain strong. The Palm Springs Teachers` Association reached a preliminary agreement with the district after nearly a year and a half of negotiations. However, some local teachers were not satisfied with the process or the outcome. A fleet of teachers attended Tuesday`s Palm Springs Unified School District Board meeting and wore their colorful T-shirts bearing the PSTA logo. Acker said negotiations on paid maternity leave were important for creating equality between women and men. “My wife and I have two children, and I have tons of absenteeism, and she doesn`t have them because she had the child,” says Acker.
His wife is a teacher at Palm Springs High School. The Palm Springs Teachers` Association and the school district tentatively agreed Monday and set the terms for the new school year. The union is expected to vote on the contract on Thursday, August 18. In addition to paid maternity leave, the interim agreement offers a 4.6 per cent pay increase, which means an additional day of professional development, an increase in medical benefits of $250 and a regular departure of teaching time at the elementary level.