Teachers applaud gains but say district misled them over administrator raises as board ratifies tentative agreements

The Carmel Unified School District board on Wednesday approved a set of tentative agreements affecting certificated and classified employees and authorized parallel salary increases for non‑represented staff, but the decision prompted multiple public comments from educators who said the district’s disclosures about administrative raises undercut teacher bargaining expectations.

Chief Human Resources Officer Craig Chavez summarized the agreements. For the Association of Carmel Teachers (ACT) bargaining unit, the parties reached a tentative agreement that increases each salary schedule cell by $4,100 retroactive to July 1, 2025 (described by staff as an estimated equivalent of a 3% increase for the bargaining unit); the contract also revises safety provisions, adds reporting and response procedures for workplace threats and harassment, and establishes an updated professional development framework and committee.

Chavez also presented a tentative agreement with the California School Employees Association (CSEA) chapter 190 covering classified employees: a 3% increase for 2025–26 and a 2% increase for 2026–27 (with contingent formula adjustments to be applied retroactive to July 1, 2026), along with clarified holiday, transfer and technology provisions that include employee protections around AI, monitoring and data privacy.

Following those board actions, staff recommended extending similar percentage increases to non‑represented employees. The board approved the ACT and CSEA tentative agreements and the non‑represented salary schedule updates in successive roll‑call votes; Board President Matt Glazier, Board Clerk Sarah Hines and Board member Jason Rammenzy voted YES on the regular meeting items.

Teachers in the audience told trustees that the disclosure that administrators were receiving a 3% increase — after ACT negotiated a cell increase that advantaged lower salary steps — felt like a betrayal. Michelle DJ Geralamo, ACT bargaining chair, said the bargaining team had settled at $4,100 per cell "because we all care about the future of the district," and added that members were surprised when administrators later received a 3% increase. "I feel we were misled and played," she said during her report on bargaining.

Former ACT president Elizabeth Marsh described a pattern of teachers feeling unheard in past bargaining and expressed disappointment that the association’s willingness to prioritize early‑career teachers’ pay had not been reciprocated. Other speakers at public comment, including classroom teachers who identified themselves by site and years of service, urged the district to prioritize classroom staffing and pay to retain and recruit teachers in a high‑cost region.

District officials framed the agreements as products of a lengthy negotiation process and described statutory disclosure documents (AB1200) and salary schedules that accompany tentative agreements. The district also presented the AB1200 public disclosure documents and staff said the agreements are intended to maintain competitiveness and support student outcomes.

The board approved the ACT and CSEA tentative agreements and the recommended non‑represented salary increases by roll call during the regular meeting. No board member recorded a vote against these items during the approvals on June 17.