Board approves tentative agreement with teachers union covering $7.79 million in compensation and benefits

The Newport‑Mesa Unified School District board unanimously approved a tentative agreement Wednesday with the Newport Mesa Federation of Teachers (NMFT) that district staff said totals $7,791,063 for 2025–26 inclusive of salary, statutory and health‑and‑welfare benefits.

Miss Knibb presented the public hearing on the financial provisions and said the board would consider separate action to approve the agreement. “The purpose of this item is to hold a public hearing regarding the financial provisions of the tentative agreement with NMFT… for $7,791,063 inclusive of salary, statutory, and health and welfare benefits,” she said.

After the hearing (which drew no public comment), the board voted 6‑0 to approve the tentative agreement. The agreement, summarized by district negotiators, includes a 2 percent ongoing salary increase, a one‑time off‑schedule 2 percent payment, and increased district contributions to health and welfare benefits, according to staff. District and union negotiation teams were both thanked for their work; NMFT president Rhonda Reed and members of the NMFT negotiating team were named during the presentation.

Following the NMFT vote, the board approved parallel compensation adjustments for other employee groups. Staff recommended and the board approved updated executive staff compensation, management compensation increases aligned to the NMFT terms, and updates to confidential and supervisor pay tables, each by unanimous roll‑call vote.

What’s next: Staff will implement the negotiated provisions for payroll and benefits administration and return any administrative items to the board as needed for budget adjustments.

Provenance: Public hearing and staff presentation (SEG 2578–SEG 2596); approval and roll‑call vote (SEG 2601–SEG 2660).