Pasadena Unified and Teachers Union Reach Tentative Three-Year Agreement

The Pasadena Unified School District announced Tuesday night it reached a tentative agreement with the United Teachers of Pasadena on May 23 that would establish a three-year contract through 2026-2027. The deal, which required member ratification and Board approval, concludes months of negotiations aimed at improving working conditions while managing budget constraints.

“The District is pleased to announce that tentative agreement has been reached on a number of articles, hence closing the 2024-25 negotiation season, pending member ratification and approval by the Board of Trustees,” District officials stated in a May 27 communication.

The agreement was reached during the parties’ 11th meeting, and encompasses changes to 11 articles in the collective bargaining agreement, including significant salary increases for child development teachers.

Ten-month child development teachers would receive a 6.91% increase, while twelve-month teachers would see a 14.9% raise, funded through Fund 12 federal dollars designated for child development programs. These increases bring parity to daily rates of pay and make Pasadena Unified School District salaries competitive with surrounding districts, according to the District statement.

Among the key provisions, teachers would gain expanded personal necessity leave, increasing from seven to ten days annually.

The agreement also allows employees to use personal necessity leave in three-hour increments, three traditional class periods, or two block class periods. Additionally, parental leave may now be granted in increments of less than two weeks’ time more frequently.

Health care costs presented a major challenge in negotiations.

Despite significant premium increases, the District agreed not to pass additional costs to union members. The agreement adds a new 90%/10% PPO plan option while maintaining existing coverage levels. New provisions require communication to the Association about newly hired unit members not meeting health and welfare enrollment deadlines, and clarifying language was introduced to codify the intent and appropriate application of the Early Retirement Incentive for staff.

Special education received particular attention through a new memorandum of understanding. The agreement guarantees specific numbers of instructional aides for classroom support, establishes caseload limits for service providers, provides for regular monitoring of caseloads, and creates a joint committee to address ongoing special education issues.

The District eliminated term limits for Teachers on Special Assignment positions and clarified distinctions between TOSA I and TOSA II roles.

Additionally, the agreement allows outgoing United Teachers of Pasadena presidents to return to classroom positions before voluntary transfers and outside applicants are considered. TOSAs whose positions are terminated by the District also receive priority for reassignment before voluntary transferees.

“The District is pleased that despite significant fiscal challenges, collaboration with UTP has resulted in a number of agreements that make significant progress to teaching and learning without further negative impacts to the budget,” District officials noted.

Child development programs received additional benefits beyond salary increases. Ten-month child development unit members will see an increase from three to six non-student, non-ADA status work days. Staff will also gain the ability to cash out up to 20 unused vacation days.

Other provisions include professional development release time for preschool special education teachers, substitute pay rates for teachers who lose duty-free lunch periods, and modified testing day schedules at Rose City High School. The agreement also allows for relocating United Teachers of Pasadena announcements to the beginning of faculty meetings upon mutual agreement.

Significantly, United Teachers of Pasadena withdrew two articles during the May 23 session: Article X on class size and the supplemental hourly salary schedule. The agreement also consolidated three separate articles into Article XIII to streamline the collective bargaining agreement.

The agreement includes updated evaluation documents and instruments. Teacher evaluation documents now incorporate updated California Standards for the Teaching Profession, including plans for professional growth, teacher summative evaluations, formal classroom observation reports, and pre-classroom observation forms. New evaluation instruments were created for psychologists, librarians, teachers on special assignments, and school counselors.

Financial pressures loom over the agreement’s implementation. Chief Business Officer Saman Bravo-Karimi reported May 22 that the state’s revised budget includes a decreased cost-of-living adjustment, resulting in less revenue for the District. Pasadena Unified School District must submit a Fiscal Stabilization Plan to the Los Angeles County Office of Education in June alongside its 2025-26 adopted budget.

The agreement maintains annual $1,000 early separation bonuses for employees who notify the District before January 15. The three-year agreement includes reopeners each year specifically for salary and health benefits negotiations.

Minor housekeeping items remain to be completed, including improvement plan forms and evaluation rubrics.

The Pasadena Unified School District bargaining team included Chief Human Resources Officer Sergio Canal, Chief Academic Officer Helen Chan Hill, Chief Business Officer Saman Bravo-Karimi, Director of Human Resources Jen Alcazar, and principals Lori Touloumian and Maricela Brambila.

United Teachers of Pasadena’s team consisted of Bargaining Chairperson Bethel Lira, President Jonathan Gardner, teachers Stephanie Kaul and Lisa Collins, special education teacher Michael To, and California Teachers Association representative Nathan Banditelli.