SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. – Prior to a scheduled Lake Tahoe Unified School District (LTUSD) Board of Education meeting on Thursday, September 10, the local teachers union, South Tahoe Educators Association (STEA), along with fellow educators, parents and community members took to Lake Tahoe Blvd. with signs to bring awareness to a funding issue currently taking place within LTUSD.
Following Governor Newsom’s May 2026-27 revisions, known as the “May Revise”, which aim to benefit public schools through proposals involving an increase of COLA (cost-of-living adjustment), paid leave, special education boosts, teacher training, and more, LTUSD saw nearly $5 million in increased funding as COLA rose from 2.87% to 4.31%.
“Our union felt that it was within our rights to demand to bargain the use of those funds,” said Nicole Mora, President of the STEA. “That added money was specifically earmarked to help with the cost-of-living increase for educators in the state.”
Mora noted that while LTUSD initially agreed to meet to begin negotiations, administrators later changed their position.
“Our school district has chosen to take the stance that all of that money should be reserved for school district-chosen funds – nothing that we were allowed to negotiate, from their point of view,” said Mora.
After STEA filed documentation with the California Public Employment Relations Board (PERB), PERB ruled in the teachers’ favor, directing them to mediation.
Following a 2.5% salary increase given to LTUSD employees at the start of this school year, Mora said the raise doesn’t account for all of the 4.31%.
“We’re fighting to get that extra 1.8% for our teachers who live in our community and who serve our students,” added Mora. “Our students deserve teachers who are not working second jobs, who are not worried about how to pay their electric bill, who are present and happy in the classroom because they’re taken care of by our school district.”
The union, along with community members and parents of students within the school district, took to the corner of U.S. Highway 50 and Al Tahoe Blvd, holding signs and chanting “C-O-L-A Tahoe teachers want their pay!”.
The group then made their way to the LTUSD board meeting to speak during public comment and to listen to Mora’s communications report on behalf of the union which echoed the sentiments she shared with the Tribune.
Following Mora’s report, Shaina Lucas took to the podium for public comment to express her concerns as a teacher.
“The district offered to meet with us on Tuesday and made an offer,” said Lucas during public comment. “Unfortunately, the offer did not come close to meeting the impact that inflation is having on our members, nor was it a fair share of the millions of dollars in new funding that California is providing the district.”
Lucas continued, saying the district offered less than a 1% increase in compensation to their bargaining unit, and combined with their prior increase, still does not alleviate reduction in wages due to inflation and increases in health benefit premiums.
Future negotiations are said to continue after STEA was granted the impasse by PERB with a mediation date set for October 12.
“LTUSD has an agreement with our teachers that runs through June 30, 2027, and it includes a 2.5% ongoing salary increase. The district and the [STEA] have different perspectives on the district’s current financial situation, but we remain committed to working together to find a resolution,” said LTUSD in a statement to the Tribune. “We look forward to meeting with the state-appointed mediator on October 12 and are hopeful we can reach an agreement that supports our employees while maintaining the district’s long-term financial stability.”
