Clovis Unified, unionized school mental health professionals reach ‘historic’ agreement

The Clovis Unified School District reached a tentative agreement with the Association of Clovis Educators’ psychologists and mental health support providers after more than 30 bargaining sessions.

ACE unionized psychologists are calling the tentative agreement “historic.” Clovis Unified is California’s largest school district without a teacher’s union.

“It’s pretty historic because this is the first union contract for certificated employees in Clovis Unified School District history,” said Jade Edwards, school psychologist and ACE bargaining team member.

Psychologists and MHSPs, who help students with their socio-emotional health, could get a 13.75% pay increase and better working conditions if the tentative agreement is approved by the district and ACE.

Clovis Unified explained that the raise comes from two different pay increases; a 7% compensation adjustment given to all district employees last June and an additional 6.75% increase calculated through a market study from the Employee Compensation Committee earlier this year.

If approved, this adjustment will be retroactive to the start of the current fiscal year, which started July 1, 2022.

The tentative agreement could also grant unionized psychologists and MHSPs better working conditions and employment benefits.

Kristin Heimerdinger, a teacher at Buchanan High School and ACE spokesperson, said this tentative agreement “provides an example” to the rest of Clovis Unified’s certified staff.

“They should start looking around at their teaching and learning conditions and asking questions about what could be done better,” Heimerdinger said.

“That’s not to say that our teaching and learning conditions are terrible necessarily, but we are a district that preaches the concept of continuous improvement,” she said. “And this should really serve as an example and as a challenge to the rest of our certificated employees.”

Though a tentative agreement was reached after mediation, the psychologists’ and MHSPs’ contract is not yet finalized, Clovis Unified spokesperson Kelly Avants said last week.

“ACE members will now vote on the tentatively agreed upon three-year contract,” Avants said. “If it is approved by ACE, the Governing Board will be asked to ratify the final agreement at their June 14, 2023, meeting.”

If both parties approve the contract next month, it will become effective immediately, Avants said.

Edwards, the school psychologist and ACE bargaining team member, said she doesn’t have concerns about the upcoming vote. Right now, she said, unionized psychologists are focused on a “membership drive,” meaning they are informing colleagues of the tentative contract updates, explaining how the union works and answering questions.

Non-unionized Clovis Unified psychologists and MHSPs interested in joining ACE’s psychologist’s union — and voting on the tentative agreement — can join before June 2. Union members can cast their vote by 5 p.m. that day, Edwards said.

Then, Edwards said voting facilitators will, “make sure that everybody that voted is a member, that nobody voted more than once, and to look at ratification so that the Board can then have all that information on the 14 when they have the board meeting.”

ACE began its unionizing efforts in 2020. Though Clovis Unified educators haven’t unionized, Clovis psychologists and MHSPs unionized last year and began negotiations for this tentatively agreed contract in April 2022.

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