Twin Rivers Unified School District educators have been on strike for seven consecutive school days. The teachers union and the district remain at a standstill after three days of negotiations this week that did not produce an agreement.
This is the first work stoppage in the district’s history and could end up being the longest teachers strike in recent California history if it continues beyond Monday.
The stakes remain high as around 25,000 students at 49 schools across North Sacramento, Rio Linda and North Highlands go without classroom teachers, but neither party has budged from their most recent contract proposals.
What are teachers asking for?
Twin Rivers teachers are seeking:
- A 10.5% raise across two years.
- Fully-paid health benefits for individuals and their dependents.
- A cap on classroom sizes.
- Other items related to overtime compensation and prep time for lessons.
The district estimates the cost of the union’s current asks to be about $23.1 million.
What is the district offering?
The district is offering teachers:
- A 4.7% raise across two years.
- A proposal to pay for the cost of a health care plan for educators and their dependents through June 2027, not including dental and vision. The amount paid by the district to cover that plan in 2027 would become the floor, with employees becoming responsible for any increase in costs in the years after.
At the most recent bargaining session, Twin Rivers leaders demanded that the union accept their offer on health care before discussing any other pieces of the contract.
What do Twin Rivers teachers make now?
Twin Rivers teacher salaries start at $64,000 and cap at $124,000. The median teacher salary in the district is $98,000, according to 2024-25 data.
What do Twin Rivers teachers pay for the health insurance premiums?
Twin Rivers teachers report that they pay up to $20,000 per year in health care costs for their families, significantly reducing their total compensation package compared to Sacramento City Unified, where teachers receive fully-paid health care benefits.
Is the district “skimming” from teachers’ salaries?
The union has accused Twin Rivers of running a “skim scam” because the district spends less than 55 cents of every education dollar on teachers salaries, as is required by California law. All but four districts in the state with enrollment higher than 20,000 meet this threshold. Twin Rivers obtains an annual waiver from the Sacramento County Office of Education to be exempt from this requirement…