Natomas Unified School District teachers returned to class Friday after reaching a labor agreement late Wednesday night.
The deal ended a strike that had left 16,000 Sacramento kids without classroom teachers for seven consecutive school days.
Here are the key details of the tentative agreement, according to details released by the union, compared to the positions staked out by both sides early in the strike:
Salary increase
The district was proposing a 2.2% increase for both years. The teachers were requesting an 8.5% for both years. The teachers will receive:
• A 3.25% raise backdated to July 1, 2025.
• An additional 2% raise on July 1, 2026.
Health care
The teachers were asking for fully-paid health benefits for individuals and their dependents. The district was proposing to pay for the cost of their least expensive health care plan for educators and their dependents through June 2027, with teachers potentially sharing some costs after that year. The compromise:
• Effective April 1, 2026, teachers will receive a $138 monthly increase in health care benefits for employee-only coverage, a benefit worth $1,658 annually. Teachers with family coverage will receive an additional $1,060 per month, or $12,242 annually. The numbers translate to a significant increase in coverage for all teachers.
• Additional increases in benefits will occur on the first day of 2027 and 2028.
Other items in the agreement
• A $10 increase in the extra duty hourly rate, bringing it to $60.
• Increased numbers of campus safety personnel for larger schools.
• More prep time for teachers of younger elementary school students.
• Increased pay for teachers with high special ed caseloads and class size overages.
According to the teacher’s union, the agreement increases the district’s spending on teachers by $22 million.
Related Stories from Sacramento Bee