GUSD, union reach deal

GLENDALE — More than seven months after its contract was terminated, the Glendale Teachers Assn. reached a tentative agreement with district administrators Friday evening that includes five work furlough days through 2013 starting next school year, officials said.

While most of the contract details won’t be revealed until after the union membership has a chance to review the agreement, officials from both sides of the bargaining table said it was a major step forward after months of stalled talks.

Tami Carlson, president of the Glendale Teachers Assn., said that while the school board could still lay off more than 100 teachers before May 15, the tentative deal does not impose a cap on health benefits — a major sticking point during negotiations.

“There was no quid pro quo,” she said. “It is our hope that the financial savings the district will benefit from in this agreement will allow them to bring back the pink-slipped teachers.”

Glendale Unified officials said they did not yet know how much the agreement would save the district, but they planned to have those figures ready for the Board of Education meeting on Tuesday.

The district faces an $18.5-million deficit by 2011-12, mostly because of reduced state education funding. But without a teacher contract, administrators haven’t been able to fully plan ahead. About 90% of the district’s unrestricted revenue goes to employee salary and benefits.

“We can work around the edges from this,” Glendale Unified Supt. Michael Escalante said. “This is really the focal point of the process because it’s such a big part of our budget.”

The agreement, which was reached Friday evening after an eight-hour bargaining session, must still be approved by the union membership and school board.

Carlson said she hoped to hold a union vote on the contract in about two weeks, after teachers have had time to review the details.

A state mediator brought in to assist with stalled negotiations advised both sides to keep much of the tentative contract private until then, officials said.

In March, the Board of Education voted 4 to 1 to increase class sizes for kindergarten through third grade to save money, a move that would put 112 teachers out of work.