Effective July 1, classified employees in the Portola Valley School District will see a 6% pay bump. The school board ratified a new one-year contract with the California School Employees Association union on June 8.

CSEA members, who include librarians, secretaries and custodians, reached a tentative agreement with the district on May 12 and ratified it on May 31.

"I would like to thank the hard working classified staff members — the paraprofessionals, office staff, librarians and custodians who, day in and day out, really come through to provide a great learning environment for the Portola Valley school district," said union President Marcus Bonfiglio, a technology specialist II for the district, in a statement. He also thanked the negotiations team for collaborating quickly and working out the contract in a few weeks.

"Special thanks to the board and administration teams for always being generous and coming to the table with an open mind," he said. "We are looking forward to a great 2023-24 school year here in the beautiful hills of Silicon Valley."

The new contract will cost the district an extra $259,654 annually. Crossing guides will now start at $20.94 per hour, up from $19.75 per hour last school year, and top out at $25.45 per hour, up from $24.01 last school year, according to the new salary schedule for example. A secretary now starts at $25 an hour and can make up to $42.57 per hour. Longevity increments of an additional 2.5% will be added starting with the unit member's eighth, 12th, 16th, 20th and 24th year of service in the district.

Additionally, the district's annual contribution for benefits will increase to $12,500, effective Jan. 1, 2024. The district contribution will now be based on a unit member's daily work hours regardless of work year, effective Sept. 1. Cash-in-lieu of benefits will increase to $5,000, also effective Sept. 1.

The district and CSEA also agreed to a memorandum of understanding that will increase the work hours for three classifications to 7.25 hours per day, effective July 1. Those who are classified as paraeducator I (general education), paraeducator III (special education) and library technician can take on the added hours unless they elect to maintain their current work hours.

The district also established a catastrophic leave bank to provide paid leave for an illness or injury that incapacitates a member (or a member of their family) for 10 or more consecutive workdays.

The layoff article of the contract was updated to comply with changes in education code which entitles any classified employee laid off for lack of work or funds to a hearing before a final decision on the layoff is made.

Unrepresented employees contract

Unrepresented employees, who include classified confidential, pupil services, coordinators and administrators, are also looking to get a pay bump in the district, which was ratified on June 8 as well.

The changes will cost the district an additional $156,971 during the 2023-24 school year.

There are several salary schedules for unrepresented employees.

Unrepresented salaried employees who work in human resources or fiscal services start at $8,730 per month and can earn up to $11,455 monthly, for example.