District takes first step in contract negotiations

Sulphur Springs receives initial proposal from union

With districts across the Santa Clarita Valley negotiating new contracts with their staff and faculty, the governing board of the Sulphur Springs Union School District is taking the first step Wednesday.

At their regular meeting, SSUSD board members accepted an initial proposal from the California School Employees Association stating the teacher union’s intent to renegotiate its current contract.

“(The agreement) means the district will sit down with CSEA officials, at some point, and propose the items we’d like to see changed,” board President Ken Chase said. This is the first step in future contract negotiations, he added.

“CSEA intends to review, clarify and potentially enhance the language,” according to the initial proposal, of various articles to include more favorable compensation and language for all employees in the district.

Negotiating members of CSEA hope to enhance salary compensation to a rate that reflects the current positive economic climate, improve duty hours and obtain a higher, more competitive contribution from the district to the existing health and welfare benefits package, the document reads.

Neither side has set or agreed to specific terms, but those items presented in the initial proposal are what will be negotiated in the future, Chase said. “The process is one that occurs every year in districts as bargaining groups fine tune items throughout the year.”