re: Give teachers a raise....Nah.

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I've said this several times, but I am totally against any teacher salary increases until they ditch their public sector union.

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Here’s what happened locally last October:

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"Fresno Unified and the Fresno Teachers Association have reached a tentative agreement that we will be signing this morning right here in front of Historic Royce Hall at Fresno High," said Superintendent Bob Nelson.

The announcement drew applause from teachers, students, and community members in the crowd.

"This is absolutely a historic deal, this is probably the most historic deal in our association's history. Ultimately, the students win,” said FTA president, Manuel Bonilla.

The new contract is expected to increase salaries by 21% over 3 years.

The agreement also calls to reduce classroom sizes and offer comprehensive special education caseload guidelines.

Additionally, students and faculty will see an investment in Arts education, as well as the social and emotional well-being of students.

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Here’s how it’s going as of last week:

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At Wednesday's Fresno Unified School District board meeting, members discussed their budget. School leaders might need to make some cost-cutting decisions. The Fresno Unified School District faces budget cuts, which could impact non-teaching staff and certain programs.

The board approved resolutions to consider eliminating and reducing classified workers, such as office staff or custodians.

Henry said there are several reasons why the district needs to cut costs. Such as lower attendance, cuts in state funding, a decline in enrollment, and accommodating the deal it made with the FTA union last fall.

"It's a very tired narrative," said Manuel Bonilla, the president of the Fresno Teachers Association. "It seems to blame the teachers for administration expanding the number of positions that they've had."

Bonilla said the cuts could be disruptive for students if they do happen. Especially if certain positions are not filled.

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The shortfall is $40 million dollars.