Teachers in one San Jose high school district are calling for higher wages to keep up with the increasing cost of living — as the district struggles with an anticipated multimillion-dollar budget deficit.
The East Side Union High School District, which serves more than 24,000 students, is offering its teachers a 1.1% raise for the 2024-25 school year, according to East Side Teachers Association (ESTA), the union representing teachers and other workers. Teachers said the increase is insufficient, causing salary negotiations to stall as hundreds of teachers refuse to work any extra time above contract requirements.
A school spokesperson referred San José Spotlight to a May 2 district message to the community that said it will continue to work with the union as it navigates its finances.
“The District is committed to providing competitive salaries to its teachers and staff. The District relies primarily on state funding to pay salaries and fund operations,” according to the statement. “As you may have seen in recent news coverage, the state has decreased funding to public schools since July’s budget projection by reducing cost of living increases to all school districts and public schools. The District shares teachers’ frustrations with the state budgeting process.”