Teachers in the Wilmar Union School District near Petaluma reached a tentative agreement with the district Tuesday evening on a new contract.
The teachers at the only school in the district, Wilson Elementary School 4 miles west of Petaluma, were planning to strike Thursday if there was no agreement by then.
The teachers are scheduled to vote on ratifying the contract Wednesday before releasing details of the agreement, the union said on Facebook.
The Wilmar Teachers' Association said teachers earn almost 25 percent less that the statewide average and the district offers one of the lowest average teacher salaries in Sonoma County's 39 school districts. The teachers' association voted in August to authorize a strike if it is needed.
"Students' teachers are financially overwhelmed and struggle to afford basic necessities like rent and healthcare. Wilmar will never be able to retain and recruit the best educators for our students without a long-term written commitment to fix this situation," WTA President Janice Garrigan said in a news release Tuesday.
The teachers claimed the school district's refusal to bargain in good faith forced negotiations into fact finding. The fact finder agreed teachers should receive a 5 percent wage increase for 2019-2020 instead of the district's proposal of 3.5 percent, but the fact finder did not adequately address health care concerns for teachers with families, the teachers' association said.
According to the Wilmar Union School District, the average teacher's salary is $69,316 for a 186-day contract and the cost of medical, dental, retirement and other benefits is 30 percent. Based on the average salary, the employment package would be $90,111, according to the district.
