Top Takeaways LAUSD reached agreements with two unions: United Teachers Los Angeles and Associated Administrators of Los Angeles. Under the UTLA agreement, salary scales would increase by 11.65%, and the beginning teacher’s annual salary would be $77,000. Tuesday’s strike can be averted if SEIU Local 99 also reaches an agreement with LAUSD. Update: This story has been updated Sunday to add details from negotiations. Two unions — United Teachers Los Angeles and Associated Administrators of Los Angeles — have reached tentative labor agreements with the Los Angeles Unified School District, bringing the district even closer to averting a three-union strike Tuesday that could shut down schools for nearly 400,000 students. UTLA reached its agreement with the district in the early morning hours of Sunday, while AALA’s tentative agreement was announced Sunday evening. The agreements followed months of negotiation since both unions’ contracts expired last June, and came after LAUSD’s school board allocated additional money in a closed session Friday so that district negotiators could raise the amount they could offer in teachers’ salaries, according to Julie Van Winkle, vice president of UTLA, which represents roughly 38,000 LAUSD teachers. “The truth has always been clear — the district CAN afford these changes. With this agreement, resources will begin to be redirected away from unnecessary spending and toward the students and classrooms that need them most,” Van Winkle said in a statement to EdSource. “This contract fight has never been about prolonging conflict. It has always been about securing the respect and investments…
