Stephen Ellison

Forestville Teachers On Verge of Strike Over Pay, Benefits

The Forestville Teachers Association will sit down with the school district for a final round of contract negotiations at 6:30 a.m. Monday before their planned strike begins, the California Teachers Association announced Sunday.

If the parties do not reach an agreement by 7:30 a.m., the strike will mark the first in Sonoma County since 1980.

The association and the school district have been negotiating since November 2017, with the FTA seeking a two-year contract that includes 5 percent annual salary increase and enhanced health benefits for the families of teachers.

"This is [the school district's] opportunity to do right by teachers and students and this community," FTA President Gina Graziano said in a news release.

She said that the picket line would be ready in the event that the district bargaining team's proposal does not match FTA's needs.

Forestville Unified School District has 16 teachers and serves 300 students.

The last strike in Sonoma County was by Santa Rosa elementary and high school teachers, lasting 36 days in November and December of 1980.

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