Little Lake City School District and union reach tentative deal to end teachers strike

Updated 24 minutes ago
SANTE FE SPRINGS, Calif. (KABC) -- The Little Lake City School District and the union representing teachers have reached a tentative deal that will reopen classrooms and end a strike that lasted more than a week, officials said Wednesday.

Teachers will return to classrooms on Thursday, according to the Little Lake Education Association.

Details on the agreement were not released. Wednesday was the third consecutive day negotiators met. Monday's negotiations were the first since Superintendent Jonathan Vasquez abruptly moved up his retirement date.

Longtime administrator Monica Martinez-Johnson was appointed as interim superintendent Sunday at a special meeting of the Board of Education.

The strike began April 16 after 94% of union members voted to authorize a strike.



The district serves students in portions of Santa Fe Springs, Norwalk and a small part of Downey.

Educators were fighting to lower their out-of-pocket healthcare costs, protect class sizes and gain additional support for students with special education needs.

"Educators fought to protect class sizes and won, after the district proposed raising them to the maximum amount allowed by California law. They also won additional support for Little Lake's growing population of students with special education needs after the district had initially rejected the request. Additionally, educators also fought to lower their high out-of-pocket healthcare costs, since the district cut benefits in the middle of the year forcing educators to pay up to $1,400," the Little Lake Educators Association, the union representing the district's teachers, said in a statement.

Ratification will begin shortly after the tentative agreement is finalized, the union said.

"This agreement reflects meaningful progress and a renewed focus on what matters most: restoring stability for students, supporting our teachers, and getting educators back into classrooms as quickly as possible while maintaining the fiscal responsibility needed to protect the long-term stability of the District," the school district said in a statement.

City News Service contributed to this report.

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