After weeks of Alameda’s teachers demonstrating for better pay and benefits, a tentative agreement has been reached between the bargaining teams representing both Alameda Education Association (AEA) and the Alameda Unified School District (AUSD). 

“Through the process of mediation we were able to come to a deal between our bargaining team, and the district’s bargaining team,” Andrew Richner, Encinal Spanish teacher and AEA site representative said. “They hashed out a specific plan for how the contract will be renewed for the school year and for the next two school years afterwards.”

The last negotiation session took place on Feb. 11, and no further negotiations are planned unless a voting party declines the tentative agreement.

“Now it is up to the membership of the union, which would be the teachers and other educators in Alameda, to vote on whether or not we want to accept the tentative agreement,” Richner explains.

The tentative agreement includes a 10% raise over the next three years to all AUSD educators, nurses and counselors, as well as a one time, 2% bonus to be distributed later this year. AUSD’s contribution to employee insurance plans will also be increased drastically, going from $1,021 for a single employee to $1,168 this year, and to $1,500 at the beginning of 2027, for a total 47% increase. Insurance contributions for dependents will increase by 76%, reaching $1,800 on Jan. 1 2028.

The AUSD Board of Education and the Alameda County Office of Education will need to vote on this agreement before ratification. If the Board or Office of Education do not approve the agreement, negotiations will continue, and in the event that the AEA’s vote does not pass, methods beyond mediation, such as a strike, become possible.

“The district was very creative in being able to find solutions for what teachers needed and I appreciate the efforts that were made on that part,” said Richner. “It’s important to recognize that this was an effort that was very collective; it wasn’t just something that a small group of people hashed out in a back room somewhere, it was something that a lot of the Alameda community participated in.”

Improvement of Alameda’s schools relies on continued support and commitment from not just students and educators, but the community as a whole.