Practically 2,500 native academics could get smaller pay raises than anticipated in 2026 beneath a plan proposed by Salem-Keizer College District leaders to keep away from layoffs.
College officers on Wednesday proposed to union leaders Wednesday shaving the promised 3.5% elevate all the way down to 1.5% subsequent 12 months.
A trainer making $60,000 per 12 months would see a value of residing elevate of about $2,100 beneath the present contract. The district proposal would scale back that elevate to $900.
The raises have been to kick in July 1, 2026. The union leaders must comply with the reduce.
Such a transfer would save about $5.3 million subsequent college 12 months.
These financial savings would forestall layoffs later on this college 12 months. The district has not supplied an estimate of what number of jobs must be reduce with out the pay discount.
Directors and supervisors obtain the identical price of residing improve as academics, so a reduce in pay raises for them could be utilized to directors as effectively.
District leaders will start negotiating a brand new contract with categorized workers like bus drivers and classroom assistants early subsequent 12 months that might set any pay will increase for 2026.
The proposal comes as Superintendent Andrea Castañeda is making an attempt to rein in district prices which can be rising quicker than state college funding. She’s set a goal of chopping $25 million from deliberate district spending subsequent college 12 months.
About one quarter of these financial savings will come from lowered overhead bills and the district workplace, she mentioned. District leaders intend to finalize their plan for these cuts in early 2026.
However about 95% of the district’s common fund pays for workers and the overwhelming majority of these individuals work in faculties. The superintendent mentioned which means there are restricted choices for cuts that don’t impression faculties or educators.
“There aren’t any options earlier than us which can be simple. If there have been, we might have exercised them way back,” Castañeda informed the Salem-Keizer College Board on Tuesday.
Proper now, the district’s worker prices are anticipated to rise at the least $20 million. That’s due to negotiated pay will increase, medical insurance prices and pensions for district retirees.
If these will increase happen, the district would spend about $640 million per 12 months in its common fund in 2026, whereas bringing in simply $618 million.
Which means with out cuts, the district must dip into its financial savings to cowl its prices in 2026. By 2028, the varsity district could be out of financial savings on its present trajectory, in line with a forecast from Chief Monetary Officer Heidi Sann.
Maraline Ellis, president of the Salem Keizer Training Affiliation, mentioned the union will ballot its members over the subsequent few weeks to gauge their response to the proposal. However she expects most will favor different choices earlier than they’d contemplate forgoing pay.
“We consider that on the very least it could be truthful and affordable to think about a mixture of various approaches,” she mentioned.
Union leaders favor furlough days, when all workers take an unpaid time without work.
However Castañeda and college board members have indicated little urge for food for furloughs on college days or when academics are scheduled for coaching. A single furlough day saves the district about $3 million.
“We simply strongly consider that our college students should be at school with our wonderful employees,” Castañeda mentioned in an interview.
She mentioned district leaders are prepared to think about furloughs on different days, like these devoted to grading. Ellis mentioned that’s more likely to be a non-starter with academics who use the time to maintain up with work.
“I can’t ask my academics particularly to surrender a day devoted to completion of grading and report playing cards,” Ellis mentioned.
Ellis mentioned longtime academics within the district, together with her, are reluctant to just accept smaller raises than anticipated due to district actions throughout the Nice Recession. That was the final time academics agreed to forgo pay.
She mentioned after academics agreed to chop their raises then, the district introduced 10% pay will increase for directors. Whereas she didn’t anticipate district leaders to repeat that mistake, she mentioned directors ought to have a pay freeze earlier than academics are requested to make concessions.
“We’re a good distance from having a doc that we might give reasonable consideration to,” she mentioned.
Ellis and Castañeda say they wish to keep away from the form of layoffs imposed in 2024.
Ellis described the present circumstance as “a nasty scenario that doesn’t have a constructive reply.”
Contact reporter Rachel Alexander: [email protected] or 503-575-1241.
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Rachel Alexander is Salem Reporter’s managing editor. She joined Salem Reporter when it was based in 2018 and covers training, financial improvement and slightly little bit of every little thing else. She’s been a journalist in Oregon and Washington for a decade and is a previous president of Oregon’s Society of Skilled Journalists chapter. Outdoors of labor, you’ll be able to usually discover her gardening or together with her nostril buried in a ebook.
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