The Abridged version:
- Teachers and leaders in Woodland Unified reached a tentative agreement Tuesday, likely preventing a strike this spring.
- Union members and the school board each must ratify the three-year contract to make it official. Woodland Education Association President Becca Bernard said she is optimistic that will happen.
- The contract includes an increase in salary and benefits, a retention bonus and the removal of a provision that would have withheld pay from teachers with multiple negative evaluations.
Woodland Joint Unified School District and its teachers’ union came to a tentative agreement Wednesday, capping a year of negotiations and staving off the prospect of a strike this spring.
The three-year contract includes a 3.5% raise, an extra $1,000 annually in benefits and a $5,000 retention bonus for teachers who stayed on between last school year and 2025-26.
A majority of union members must still vote on and pass the contract, an outcome that Woodland Education Association President Becca Bernard said she is optimistic will happen. The agreement will then go before the school board for district leaders’ approval.
“This Tentative Agreement reflects our shared commitment to supporting our teachers while maintaining the long-term fiscal stability of our district,” Noel Rodriguez, school board president, said in a statement. “I want to thank both bargaining teams for their collaboration in reaching this agreement that benefits our students, staff, and community.”
Mediator finds common ground, stops potential strike
The union and district began bargaining in January 2025. After multiple rounds of negotiations failed to find consensus, a neutral state mediator for assistance came in to assist.
Two mediation meetings later, the groups were able to reach a consensus, Bernard said.
Along with the bump to salary and benefits, Bernard said the labor group was able to achieve their “biggest win” on what had been a sticking point throughout talks. The district ultimately agreed to eliminate a provision that would have frozen salary progress for any teacher who received two years of negative evaluations.
Bernard said union members were prepared to do “whatever it took” to achieve these results — including a potential strike, if negotiations had continued to stall.
But with this tentative agreement and a ratification, the chance of a strike this year in Woodland was alleviated.
“We value our teachers and staff and the services they provide to our students and families,” Superintendent Elodia Ortega-Lampkin said in a statement. “We are pleased to reach an agreement that continues to demonstrate our commitment to increasing salaries and benefits for all WJUSD employees.”
Strike threats remain elsewhere in the region
However, Bernard said some members remain unsatisfied with the 3.5% raise. While she plans to encourage “yes” votes on this agreement, she said they are still some of the lowest paid educators in the region.
The union hopes to continue their momentum, Bernard said, in future negotiations.
This recent contract covers the 2025-26, 2026-27 and 2027-28 school years (raises this year will be implemented retroactively). But the labor group may renegotiate the agreement’s wages and benefits for the next school year as soon as March.
Elsewhere in the region, school districts like Natomas Unified continue to face the threat of teacher strikes.
Six local educator unions, including Woodland’s, belong to a statewide coalition and campaign pushing for similar negotiation goals.
Savannah Kuchar is a reporter covering education. She came to Sacramento to be part of the Abridged team and contribute to a crucial local news source.