Murrieta Valley Unified board ratifies tentative agreements with classified and certificated unions, approves salary schedules

The Murrieta Valley Unified Board of Education voted unanimously to ratify tentative labor agreements with the California School Employees Association (CSEA) Chapter 223 and the Murrieta Educators Association (MEA), and approved multiple salary schedules that take effect July 1, 2025.

Board President Nicholas Pardue called for and recorded the motions; each measure passed on voice votes that carried 4–0. CSEA representative Desiree Espinosa told the board negotiations concluded and thanked district leadership for participating. "We are excited to announce that our executive board is evolving," Espinosa said in presenting the CSEA update.

Lisa Murray, president of the MEA, asked the board to ratify the MEA tentative agreement after telling the board that 91% of MEA members who participated in the association's ratification vote approved the deal. "We ask your support on the tentative agreement before you tonight," Murray said, and the board approved the agreement by voice vote.

Murray acknowledged lingering concerns among elementary teachers about class size, saying most "no" votes in the MEA's internal tally came from elementary members and urging the district to pursue a multi‑year plan to reduce class sizes. "We can do anything, but we can't do everything," she said, adding that teacher‑student ratios remain a central issue for instructional quality.

In the same set of votes the board approved certificated and classified employee salary schedules, substitute pay tables, confidential management and senior management schedules and corresponding contract amendments. The board and union leaders discussed fiscal context: Murray referred to the district's first interim budget presentation and said the district's ending fund balance for the next two fiscal years includes "tens of millions of unrestricted dollars beyond the state's reserve requirement." President Pardue repeated a long‑standing complaint that state funding leaves the district underfunded, saying, "I don't feel like we're treated fairly" by the state.

All actions were procedural ratifications of tentative agreements and budgeted schedule changes; implementation details and any follow‑up negotiations were not changed by the board's vote. The board did not set specific class‑size caps as part of these approvals; Murray said bargaining and future negotiations would continue.