Gustine, CA (February 20, 2026) — After an extended cycle of negotiations spanning several months and multiple bargaining sessions, the Gustine Unified School District and the Gustine-Romero Teachers Association (GRTA) have successfully negotiated updated contract terms for certificated staff as part of the district’s ongoing labor framework.
The process builds on a multi-year collective bargaining agreement covering July 1, 2023, through June 30, 2026, which was jointly announced as a tentative agreement by district officials and the teachers’ association in February 2024. That agreement laid out a 6.5 % increase to the teacher salary schedule retroactive to the 2023-24 school year, a $500 increase in the employer health benefit cap, a salary schedule increase tied to 80 % of the state-funded cost-of-living adjustment effective July 1, 2024, and the addition of one professional growth day for teachers during the 2024-25 school year. The tentative deal was submitted to unit members for ratification and to the Board of Trustees for approval.
Under the terms of the 2023–26 contract on file in district records, GUSD and GRTA expressly agreed that for the 2024–25 and 2025–26 school years, each party may reopen negotiations on two contract articles, with salary and health benefits reopeners also scheduled for the 2025–26 year. This structure allowed both sides to revisit key employment topics while preserving the core agreement’s overall framework.
Negotiations recommenced in late 2025 and continued into early 2026. Official district postings document multiple bargaining sessions held throughout this period. On November 3, 2025, the district and GRTA met for a second session addressing reopeners on leaves, class size, teacher safety, salary, fringe benefits, extra duties, association rights, teacher evaluation, teacher work year, and peer assistance and review. The district also provided a counterproposal that included salary and benefits increases for the 2025–26 school year during that session.
Further progress was reported on January 7, 2026, when the district indicated that the teams were close to agreement on several reopened articles, including leaves, class size, teacher safety, salary schedule adjustments, fringe benefits, and extra duties. That update specifically reflected a proposal for a 2 % salary schedule increase retroactive to July 1, 2025, an additional increase of $500 to the district’s health benefits cap, which brings that cap to $15,000, and movement on language for other reopened articles. Discussions continued on the association’s use of preparatory periods as part of association rights.
Although district press releases confirm that progress was made on these reopeners, GUSD’s publicly posted updates do not explicitly confirm the final board action to adopt the fully ratified contract language for these reopeners. District board minutes available online (e.g., the September 10, 2025 regular meeting) document the required public hearings on GRTA and district “sunshine proposals” for the 2025–26 year, but they do not yet include a meeting item showing the board’s ultimate adoption of the finalized reopened contract terms.
The original collective bargaining agreement remains in force through June 30, 2026, and updates negotiated in 2025–26 are expected to be reflected in the finalized contract documents once formally ratified and adopted. At the time of reporting, salary increases, benefit adjustments, and other reopened articles under discussion are acknowledged in district updates, but the specific board approval language and official contract adoption minutes have not been published on the GUSD public site or in the available board minutes archives.
The negotiations reflect a collaborative process between the district and GRTA that has unfolded over multiple sessions and has included ongoing public transparency through regular district updates to the community.
