FREMONT– Following weeks of negotiations, the Fremont Unified School District and its teachers union have agreed on a new three-year contract, ending the threat of a possible strike.
The new contract inked Wednesday includes salary and benefit increases but did not address the Fremont Unified District Teachers Association’s complaints of overcrowded classrooms.
With just a month left in this school year, Fremont teachers are “disappointed” that the new deal did not include such caps on class sizes, the union said in a statement. Teachers and supporters rallied several times outside of the district’s office to demand higher pay, more manageable class sizes and money from the district to see a doctor.
“We are committed to the long game here. If our board and superintendent is showing us that they aren’t even able to discuss the class caps we need, we have some work to do here in terms of leadership in the district,” said Cara Coleman, a Fremont teacher and union chairwoman.
The contract includes a 2% salary increase retroactive from July 1, 2024 through the end of this June with full dental coverage, a 1% salary increase beginning July 1, 2025 and a 2% salary increase effective Jan. 1, 2026, with a $1,000 annual health care contribution from the district.
Zack Larsen, the Fremont district’s superintendent, thanked both sides for “their collaboration throughout this complex process.” The tentative agreement comes after the district and union exhausted all negotiating options, reaching an impasse and requiring a state mediator to issue a fact-finding report with recommendations on how to settle things.
The union’s three-year contract expired in June 2024, an impasse was declared in November 2024, and in February a fourth mediation attempt again was unsuccessful.
“We have always held firm that our educators deserve meaningful compensation and benefits,” Larsen said in a statement posted to the district’s website. “District leadership understands the costs of living in the Bay Area and remains committed to investing in our teachers.”
Larsen did not immediately respond to a request for comment Thursday afternoon.
Barth Paine, a district spokesman, said in a statement that FUSD “still has some issues to work through, particularly a thorough examination of secondary and special education class size.” After the district reversed its previous stance against contributing to teachers’ healthcare costs, he added the district “will still need to make budget reductions to remain fiscally solvent.”
Fremont teachers, whose salaries are some of the highest in the Bay Area, have since 1997 paid their own way for healthcare. Currently, Fremont teachers can make a yearly salary of $83,000 to $144,000, based on experience, according to the district’s latest pay schedule.
“I am proud of our members,” union president Vicky Chon said in a statement. “We stood strong, rallying and standing strong together for each other and for our community. We did have some wins, but at the end of the day, the class size issues our members are passionate about were not issues the district wanted to discuss.”