Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility

Trump Sues Wall Street Journal Over Epstein Report, Seeks $10 Billion

2 days ago

Clovis Unified Mourns Passing of Former Superintendent Terry Bradley

2 days ago

Clovis At-Risk Missing Person Found Dead in Fresno Canal

2 days ago

DOJ Asks California Sheriffs for Names of Inmates Who Aren’t Citizens

2 days ago

Israel Agrees to Allow Syrian Troops Limited Access to Sweida

2 days ago

Border Patrol Agents Raid a Home Depot in Northern California

2 days ago

Man Admits to Killing Missing Bass Lake Resident, Madera County Authorities Say

3 days ago

Trump Diagnosed With Vein Condition Causing Leg Swelling, White House Says

3 days ago

US Seeks One-Day Sentence for Police Officer Convicted in Breonna Taylor Case

3 days ago

Manhattan Prosecutor Who Handled Epstein Cases Is Fired

3 days ago
Fresno Teacher Pay Climbs Faster than Inflation and COLAs, District Says. That's Baloney, Union Responds.
NANCY WEBSITE HEADSHOT 1
By Nancy Price, Multimedia Journalist
Published 2 years ago on
September 1, 2023

Share

Fresno teacher salaries have climbed faster than the rate of inflation and state-funded cost-of-living increases over the past 13 years, the district said Thursday in a news release.

The district “is proud of the offer we have made to the Fresno Teachers Association (FTA), which estimates taking the average teacher salary into the six figures,” the district says in the news release. “Any claims that Fresno Unified salary increases are not keeping up with the rate of inflation or the state-funded LCFF cost of living adjustment (COLA) are untrue.”

However, the president of the Fresno Teachers Association, Manuel Bonilla, said that the district is selectively fudging the numbers as it wages a public relations battle against the union.

(Fresno Unified)

Over the past 13 years, Fresno Unified staff pay has increased 32.7%, not including step, column, or longevity pay increases to teachers, the district said. Over the same time period, the rate of inflation was 30% and the state-funded COLA was 26.9%, the district said.

The state provides funding to districts through the Local Control Funding Formula, or LCFF. Teacher pay is determined by steps and columns in the salary schedule.

A teacher starting at column three, step one, which the district says is the starting place for many new teachers, 13 years ago would be paid $96,252 this school year and $103,795 by 2025-26, the third year of the proposed three-year contract.

The district and union haven’t yet reached an agreement on a new contract. Teachers began the new school year without a contract and have given consensus approval to the union to call a strike authorization vote if there is no agreement by Sept. 29 — less than a month from now.

Union: District Using ‘Fuzzy Math’

Fresno Teachers Association president Manuel Bonilla said the district’s calculations are based on its “fuzzy math PR campaign,” which includes using a selective time period that shows teacher pay increases in a more positive light.

If the district had gone as far back as 2006 to the present, employee pay would be lagging inflation by 8%, or if the district had chosen a shorter time period from 2018 to 2023, employee pay would be behind by 7%, he said.

A graphic showing the growth in a teacher’s salary over the past 13 years does not show the same salary information that’s on the district’s salary schedule online, Bonilla said.

“People see the reality with their paychecks,” he said. “They see the reality when they go to the grocery store and the gas station.”

In addition to the inflationary component, there is also a competitive component to salaries, and Fresno Unified teachers are not getting top pay, Bonilla said.

Next week, the union and district will meet with the fact-finder assigned by the Public Employment Relations Board to review the offers made by both sides and come up with a recommendation. However, neither side is required to abide by the mediator’s recommendation, Bonilla said.

RELATED TOPICS:

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

Fresno County Authorities Investigating Deadly Assault in Kingsburg

DON'T MISS

Peach the Prancing Pup Could Be Fresno’s Next Ninja Warrior

DON'T MISS

At Least 32 Killed by Israeli Fire While Seeking Aid in Gaza, Hospital Says

DON'T MISS

At Least 30 Injured When Car Hits Crowd Outside Los Angeles Club, Fire Department Says

DON'T MISS

Merced Man Drowns While Kayak Fishing at Courtright Reservoir

DON'T MISS

Syrian Forces Struggle to Implement Ceasefire in Druze Region

DON'T MISS

California Medical School Welcomes Record Class of Fresno State Graduates

DON'T MISS

New CA Budget Papers Over $20 Billion Deficit, Ignores Day of Reckoning

DON'T MISS

Astronomer CEO, HR Chief on Leave After Coldplay ‘Kiss Cam’ Sparks Scandal

DON'T MISS

Sanger Man Arrested in Child Exploitation Investigation

UP NEXT

More than Severance: Fresno Unified Wants to Give $162K to Nikki Henry to End ‘Dispute’

UP NEXT

Clovis Unified Mourns Passing of Former Superintendent Terry Bradley

UP NEXT

Trump Diagnosed With Vein Condition Causing Leg Swelling, White House Says

UP NEXT

Connie Francis, Whose Ballads Dominated ’60s Pop Music, Dies at 87

UP NEXT

FDA Approves Juul’s Tobacco and Menthol E-Cigarettes

UP NEXT

7.3 Magnitude Earthquake Strikes Off Alaska Coast. No Danger to California

UP NEXT

Age Is Just a Number: 80-Year-Old Conquers Death Valley to Mt. Whitney Ultramarathon

UP NEXT

Is US Democracy Threatened? Majority of Californians, Including Republicans, Say Yes

UP NEXT

US Senator Seeks Safety Reforms After Fatal Collision Between Army Helicopter, Regional Jet

UP NEXT

PBS and NPR Mount Last-Ditch Fight to Save Federal Funding

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

Israeli Fire Kills 67 People Seeking Aid in Gaza, Medics Say, as Hunger Worsens

2 hours ago

Fresno’s Measure C Panel Prioritizes Roads After Ousting City Rep for Criticism

6 hours ago

California Is Finally Adopting Phonics, Fulfilling a Grandmother’s Dream

7 hours ago

Fresno County Authorities Investigating Deadly Assault in Kingsburg

20 hours ago

Peach the Prancing Pup Could Be Fresno’s Next Ninja Warrior

1 day ago

At Least 32 Killed by Israeli Fire While Seeking Aid in Gaza, Hospital Says

1 day ago

At Least 30 Injured When Car Hits Crowd Outside Los Angeles Club, Fire Department Says

1 day ago

Merced Man Drowns While Kayak Fishing at Courtright Reservoir

1 day ago

Syrian Forces Struggle to Implement Ceasefire in Druze Region

1 day ago

California Medical School Welcomes Record Class of Fresno State Graduates

1 day ago

Trump Says He Will Help Afghans Stuck in the UAE

WASHINGTON – President Donald Trump said on Sunday he would help Afghans detained in the United Arab Emirates for years after fleeing ...

2 hours ago

President Donald Trump speaks at a dinner with Republican Senators, in the State Dining Room at the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S., July 18, 2025. (Reuters File)
2 hours ago

Trump Says He Will Help Afghans Stuck in the UAE

Pope Leo XIV leads the Angelus prayer in Castel Gandolfo, Italy, July 20, 2025. REUTERS/Yara Nardi TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY
2 hours ago

Pope Leo Calls for End to ‘Barbarity of War’ After Strike on Gaza Church

American lawyer Alan Dershowitz returns to the courtroom for the criminal trial of former U.S. President Donald Trump after a short break at Manhattan Criminal Court in New York City, U.S., 20 May 2024. (Reuters File)
2 hours ago

Ex-Epstein Lawyer Calls for Release of Additional Epstein Materials

Palestinians gather as they carry aid supplies that entered Gaza through Israel, amid a hunger crisis, in Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza Strip July 20, 2025. REUTERS/Dawoud Abu Alkas
2 hours ago

Israeli Fire Kills 67 People Seeking Aid in Gaza, Medics Say, as Hunger Worsens

Sign Promoting Completion of Measure C Project at McKinley and Clovis Avenues near the Airport
6 hours ago

Fresno’s Measure C Panel Prioritizes Roads After Ousting City Rep for Criticism

Oakland Students Learning to Read
7 hours ago

California Is Finally Adopting Phonics, Fulfilling a Grandmother’s Dream

20 hours ago

Fresno County Authorities Investigating Deadly Assault in Kingsburg

Peach, a 2-year-old chihuahua in Fresno, is capturing hearts with her sweet personality, love for play, and unexpected fence-climbing talents that hint at a future in canine stardom. (Mell's Mutts)
1 day ago

Peach the Prancing Pup Could Be Fresno’s Next Ninja Warrior

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

Search

Send this to a friend