Gustine, CA (February 20, 2026) — After an extended cycle of negotiations spanning several months and multiple bargaining sessions, the Gustine Unified School District and the Gustine-Romero Teachers Association (GRTA) have successfully negotiated updated contract terms for certificated staff as part of the district’s ongoing labor framework.
The process builds on a multi-year collective bargaining agreement covering July 1, 2023, through June 30, 2026, which was jointly announced as a tentative agreement by district officials and the teachers’ association in February 2024. That agreement laid out a 6.5 % increase to the teacher salary schedule retroactive to the 2023-24 school year, a $500 increase in the employer health benefit cap, a salary schedule increase tied to 80 % of the state-funded cost-of-living adjustment effective July 1, 2024, and the addition of one professional growth day for teachers during the 2024-25 school year. The tentative deal was submitted to unit members for ratification and to the Board of Trustees for approval.
Under the terms of the 2023–26 contract on file in district records, GUSD and GRTA expressly agreed that for the 2024–25 and 2025–26 school years, each party may reopen negotiations on two contract articles, with salary and health benefits reopeners also scheduled for the 2025–26 year. This structure allowed both sides to revisit key employment topics while preserving the core agreement’s overall framework…