Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility

Poorest Americans Dealt Biggest Blow Under Senate Republican Tax Package

13 hours ago

Trump Vowed to Dismantle MS-13. His Deal With Bukele Threatens That Effort.

17 hours ago

Ukraine Voices Concern as US Halts Some Missile Shipments

17 hours ago

Poll: Most Americans Say National Divide, Political Violence Threaten Democracy

18 hours ago

Paramount Settles With Trump Over ‘60 Minutes’ Interview for $16 Million

18 hours ago

Republicans Tee up House Vote on Trump Bill, Outcome Uncertain

18 hours ago

What’s Next for Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs After His Sex Trafficking Trial?

18 hours ago

Dalai Lama Says He Will Be Reincarnated, Trust Will Identify Successor

18 hours ago
Most Clovis School Employees Get 7% Raise. ACE Psychologists Still Negotiating.
NANCY WEBSITE HEADSHOT 1
By Nancy Price, Multimedia Journalist
Published 3 years ago on
June 10, 2022

Share

 

Most Clovis Unified School District employees will get an across-the-board 7% pay increase, and they could get more depending on the results of a pending market study, district officials say.

The pay raise applies to all employees except school psychologists and mental health counselors now represented by the Association of Clovis Educators.

And, while a 7% raise might look generous to some, it won’t completely close the pay gap for Clovis teachers when compared with other educators in the region, ACE and the district acknowledge.

Kristin Heimerdinger, an ACE spokeswoman who teaches at Buchanan High School, said she’s doubtful that employees would have gotten as much as 7% if the union’s organizing activities weren’t putting pressure on the district.

ACE is still in the process of collecting signatures to be recognized as the union representative for all certificated employees, including the district’s 1,800 teachers. The union has filed several unfair labor charges against the district with the California Public Employment Relations Board, alleging the district has impeded its efforts to organize.

Biggest Raise Ever

Heimerdinger said the 7% raise is the biggest in her 29 years as an educator.

But even so, “we’re still near or at the bottom” when compared with other like-funded districts, she said.

The closest “like-funded” district is in the Sacramento area, she said.

The recommendation for a 7% pay increase came out of Clovis Unified’s employee compensation committee, which includes representatives of all the district’s employee units, including the Faculty Senate, the new psychologists’ union, and the budding teachers union, spokeswoman Kelly Avants said in an email.

But Heimerdinger said that the committee’s past recommendations are why employees are comparatively low-paid today. She said the district is sitting on a 26.7% reserve, more than double what is required by the board’s policy of maintaining at least 10% of the budgeted general fund in reserve. And the board’s policy is well above the 2% required for Clovis Unified by the state, she said.

However, Clovis Unified’s bargaining agreement this week reported a projected reserve of 18.03% as of the third quarter this year, and said that the reserve is projected to drop to 13.11% in the 2022-23 fiscal year and remain close to that level for the following three years.

Districts maintain reserves as a cushion against economic downturns to protect against layoffs.

Market Study Underway

There could yet be more money coming to Clovis Unified paychecks. The district commissioned a market study to compare salaries and wages and has budgeted $12.8 million to implement the results of the study.

The study was requested by the employee compensation committee, which will analyze the results and then make recommendations, Avants said.

District officials had hoped the study would be completed by the end of the school year, she said. “However, given the size, scope, and complexity of the project, our consultant’s timeline got extended into the summer/fall.”

DON'T MISS

What Are Fresno Real Estate Experts Predicting for 2025 and Beyond?

DON'T MISS

First California EV Mandates Hit Automakers This Year. Most Are Not Even Close

DON'T MISS

House Republicans Say They Expect to Vote Tonight on Trump’s Tax-Cut Bill

DON'T MISS

San Luis Obispo’s Madre Fire Grows to 8,300 Acres, Prompts Evacuations

DON'T MISS

SLO Deputies Fatally Shoot Man in Los Osos Weeks After US Marshal Impersonation Arrest

DON'T MISS

Madera County Deputy Injured, Wanted Felon Arrested After Violent Struggle

DON'T MISS

San Luis Obispo County Wildfire Burns More Than 3,000 Acres. No Containment Yet

DON'T MISS

Wired Wednesday: Why Is State Lawmaker Taking Aim at Rooftop Solar?

DON'T MISS

Two Visalia Men Sentenced in 2021 Motel Killing

DON'T MISS

Ex-Jan. 6 Defendant Gets Life in Prison for Plot to Kill FBI Agents

DON'T MISS

Del Monte Files for Bankruptcy. Gets Nearly $1B to Keep Producing Through Process

DON'T MISS

Who is Running for Fresno Area Offices in 2026? An Updated Look

UP NEXT

Poll: Most Americans Say National Divide, Political Violence Threaten Democracy

UP NEXT

Trump Pulls Back 150 Guard Troops From Federal Duties in California

UP NEXT

Fresno Unified’s Embattled Nikki Henry Exits. ‘I Own My Mistake. I Won’t Let It Own Me.’

UP NEXT

O’Brien Launches Fresno County Schools Chief Campaign by Handing Out ‘Homework’

UP NEXT

Suspect Identified in Ambush Shooting That Killed 2 Idaho Firefighters

UP NEXT

Suspect Identified in Ambush Shooting That Killed 2 Idaho Firefighters

UP NEXT

Trump’s Administration Finds Harvard Violated Students’ Civil Rights, WSJ Reports

UP NEXT

University of Virginia President Resigns Under Pressure From Trump Administration

UP NEXT

Despite $49M Deficit, Fresno Unified Gives Top Brass 5% Raise, 3% One-Time Bonus

UP NEXT

US Supreme Court Lets Parents Take Kids Out of Classes With LGBT Storybooks

Nancy Price,
Multimedia Journalist
Nancy Price is a multimedia journalist for GV Wire. A longtime reporter and editor who has worked for newspapers in California, Florida, Alaska, Illinois and Kansas, Nancy joined GV Wire in July 2019. She previously worked as an assistant metro editor for 13 years at The Fresno Bee. Nancy earned her bachelor's and master's degrees in journalism at Northwestern University's Medill School of Journalism. Her hobbies include singing with the Fresno Master Chorale and volunteering with Fresno Filmworks. You can reach Nancy at 559-492-4087 or Send an Email

Madera County Deputy Injured, Wanted Felon Arrested After Violent Struggle

11 hours ago

San Luis Obispo County Wildfire Burns More Than 3,000 Acres. No Containment Yet

11 hours ago

Wired Wednesday: Why Is State Lawmaker Taking Aim at Rooftop Solar?

12 hours ago

Two Visalia Men Sentenced in 2021 Motel Killing

12 hours ago

Ex-Jan. 6 Defendant Gets Life in Prison for Plot to Kill FBI Agents

12 hours ago

Del Monte Files for Bankruptcy. Gets Nearly $1B to Keep Producing Through Process

13 hours ago

Who is Running for Fresno Area Offices in 2026? An Updated Look

13 hours ago

CIA Review Finds Flaws but Does Not Dispute Finding Putin Sought to Sway 2016 Vote to Trump

13 hours ago

Poorest Americans Dealt Biggest Blow Under Senate Republican Tax Package

13 hours ago

Check Out Newest Downtown Mural. It’s a Spectacular Tribute to Fresno Artisans

14 hours ago

House Republicans Say They Expect to Vote Tonight on Trump’s Tax-Cut Bill

WASHINGTON – Republicans in the House of Representatives on Wednesday struggled to pass President Donald Trump’s massive tax-cut...

10 hours ago

Speaker of the House Mike Johnson speaks to the press, as Republican lawmakers struggle to pass U.S. President Donald Trump's sweeping spending and tax bill, on Capitol Hill, in Washington, D.C., U.S., July 2, 2025. (Reuters/Annabelle Gordon)
10 hours ago

House Republicans Say They Expect to Vote Tonight on Trump’s Tax-Cut Bill

The Madre Fire in San Luis Obispo County has rapidly expanded to 8,396 acres with no containment, prompting evacuation orders and warnings near New Cuyama. (CalFire)
11 hours ago

San Luis Obispo’s Madre Fire Grows to 8,300 Acres, Prompts Evacuations

Andrew Biscay, 40, was arrested Friday, June 20, 2025, after deputies found him with a fake U.S. Marshal’s badge, homemade firearm, and law enforcement-style gear during a warrant arrest. (Madera County SO)
11 hours ago

SLO Deputies Fatally Shoot Man in Los Osos Weeks After US Marshal Impersonation Arrest

On Tuesday, July 1, 2025, a Madera County sheriff’s deputy was injured while trying to arrest a wanted felon, Felix Adrian Nucamendi Carrasco, 40, who later fled and was captured near Raymond Road. (Madera County SO)
11 hours ago

Madera County Deputy Injured, Wanted Felon Arrested After Violent Struggle

A wildfire dubbed the Madre Fire has burned over 3,300 acres near New Cuyama with 0% containment, officials said Wednesday, July 2, 2025. (CalFire)
11 hours ago

San Luis Obispo County Wildfire Burns More Than 3,000 Acres. No Containment Yet

12 hours ago

Wired Wednesday: Why Is State Lawmaker Taking Aim at Rooftop Solar?

Jose Luna (left), 33, and Ralph Grajeda, 45, both of Visalia, have been sentenced for their roles in the 2020 shotgun killing of Robert Soto at a local motel. (Tulare County DA)
12 hours ago

Two Visalia Men Sentenced in 2021 Motel Killing

A U.S. Justice Department logo or seal showing Justice Department headquarters, known as "Main Justice," is seen behind the podium in the Department's headquarters briefing room before a news conference with the Attorney General in Washington, January 24, 2023. (Reuters File)
12 hours ago

Ex-Jan. 6 Defendant Gets Life in Prison for Plot to Kill FBI Agents

Help continue the work that gets you the news that matters most.

Search

Send this to a friend