After forgoing raises last year because of the Long Beach Unified’s looming financial problems, the school district and its teachers union reached a tentative agreement for 2025-26 that would give educators a modest pay bump.
If the agreement is ratified, certificated employees — including teachers, nurses and librarians — will receive a 1% permanent wage hike and a one-time 1.5% payment retroactive to the beginning of this school year.
Last year’s contract, ratified by union members in December after protracted negotiations, did not increase pay — a blow to teachers after years of consistent, large compensation wins. That outcome reflected the district’s worsening finances, as declining enrollment, expiring pandemic relief funds and rising costs forced LBUSD into deficit spending.
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This year, only a limited set of items, including compensation, opened for bargaining (the entire contract is up only every three years), and “the pressure was raised” for a salary bump, said Peder Larsen, vice president of the teachers union. “Inflation has been pretty painful over the last few years, so going a year without a raise was hurting our members,” he added…