Reed teachers seek to boost salaries by 23% over next two years

Reed Union School District teachers are asking for a salary boost of nearly 23% over the next two years, a raise they say is necessary to keep pace with the high cost of living in the Bay Area and to attract and retain high-quality teachers at the district’s three schools.

The Reed District Teachers Association’s most recent proposal seeks a 12% raise in the 2023-2024 school year and a 9.75% raise the following year for all certificated teachers. The union opened negotiations requesting a 14% increase from the district in each year.

The two sides have been at the bargaining table since January and have held five sessions so far, with the next set for May, but have not yet been able to reach an agreement despite trading a series of proposals and counteroffers. The district has yet to submit a counter to the union’s latest proposal; its most recent offer was a 12.9% increase over two years — 8% in 2023-2024 and 4.5% in 2024-2025 — plus a $4,000 payment in the current school year to all teachers, which equates to a one-time salary boost of anywhere between about 3.5% and 6.5%.

Union leaders said the proposal is based on a simple concept — that all teachers in the district, regardless of their marital status or professional experience, should be able to rent a one-bedroom apartment within a one-hour commute of the school district.

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