Santa Cruz City Schools officials and the teachers union are getting closer to reaching an agreement on pensions.
With the Santa Cruz City Schools District struggling to cut $5.2 million from its budget, school officials and the teachers union are getting closer to reaching an agreement on pensions. Under discussion is an early retirement plan in which teachers would get 80 percent of their salaries for the next five years, as well as all their benefits. The plan, which was offered to 41 teachers, also included an optional 20 days of work for $5,000. There are 30 teachers who opted to participate, with the final deadline on Friday.
After the privately-designed plan was suggested, school board officials learned that there was an error in the calculations, and the plan would actually cost the school board as much as $10,000 per teacher. They have therefore offered the teachers a chance to opt out of the 20 days of work, increasing the savings by $150,000. If all the teachers agree, several jobs could be saved.
Other possibilities still under investigation are a shortened school year and the elimination of adult education programs. All of the adult education staff, as well as 80 other employees, have already received pink slips. Read more at the Santa Cruz Sentinel.
