Salem-Keizer Public Schools offers workers $45 million contract

Salem-Keizer Public Schools is proposing a three-year contract worth $45 million to its non-licensed employees.

The contract would apply to roughly 2,800 workers represented by the union ASK ESP, including bus drivers and teaching assistants.

The district’s proposal includes a roughly 13% increase in wages over three years, an immediate $5,000 stipend for most of those workers and $2,500 for some part-time employees, and more.

Union leaders say the pay increases are notable, but they say there’s work to be done on class sizes and employee safety.

Meanwhile, the district says this offer is the best it can do with the funding it has.

"Once we get to an agreement, and we’re still not there, but once we get there it is going to be less than our staff deserve, and more than our school system can afford. And that's because Oregon's funding formula is starting to collapse," said Superintendent Andrea Castañeda.

"A lot of our staff have taken on more work since the pandemic, and it just seems to keep building and building,” said Jeff Jabin, vice president of ASK ESP. “And we're losing really good people because they're feeling overworked, and we want to make sure that doesn’t happen so we keep people in the building serving our kids.”

The district and the union will be back at the bargaining table soon.

Salem-Keizer is also negotiating a new contract for teachers.