Modesto teachers are moving closer to a possible strike after contract talks with the Modesto City Schools stalled. The final mediation session between the Modesto Teachers Association and the school district ended without a contract agreement, according to local reports.
The teachers union will hold a strike vote this Thursday, as fact-finding with a third party comes next. According to teachers, this is the third year without a salary increase, pay isn’t competitive with nearby school districts, and Modesto schools need smaller class sizes.
In the fact-finding stage, union and district officials will make presentations to a neutral third party, who will make a recommendation. The fact finder will most likely focus on salary and benefits, not working conditions such as lower class size, union officials have said. During fact finding, both sides can continue negotiations. They can also reach an agreement based on the recommendations from the fact finding, and “that is what we want,” teachers union President Jennifer McGrath told The Bee via email.
If the union and district don’t agree to a contract 10 days after the fact-finding report, the district must release that report to the public, leaving the option to impose a contract and allowing the union to call a strike. Thursday’s strike vote would authorize that to happen. So, a possible strike, which must follow the fact finding and an impasse, is still not in the near future. If it happens, the school district must consider whether schools will stay open and who will run them.
Unlike districts up and down the state that have faced a strike and paid $500-$600 for substitutes, the Modesto teachers union controls the pay for its substitute teachers, The Bee reported. “Because they are part of our bargaining unit,” McGrath said, “the district does not have the ability to offer higher pay to fill classrooms.” When Fresno Unified was preparing for a 2023 strike, which would’ve been the first in 45 years, the district planned to offer a $500 daily pay rate to draw subs from across the region. Less than 24 hours before thousands of educators would have started their strike, the district and its teachers union agreed to a contract. That was more than a month after fact finding.
Modesto City Schools said in a statement to The Bee that its latest proposal included 3% salary increases retroactive to July 2025 and 3% increases for the 2026-27 school year. “We need to find agreement and reach a resolution to avoid unnecessary disruptions to student learning,” the district said.
