Covered employees will see a retroactive 2% salary bump after the Cupertino Unified School District Board of Trustees unanimously ratified its 2020–2025 agreement with the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) at its latest meeting.
The agreement authorizes a salary increase retroactive to July 1, 2025, with payments to be issued immediately. Classified and SEIU salary schedules passed without opposition.
The board also considered whether management employees without negotiated contracts should receive the same 2% raise as other employee groups. District administrators noted that the executive cabinet is excluded from this increase and that approximately $28,000 associated with executive-level raises was removed from the budget. Management employees at the senior director level and below are included in the raise.
Some director-level salaries exceed $150,000, meaning a 2% increase represents a substantially larger dollar amount than the same percentage applied to lower-paid employees. Trustees described this as a financial and structural concern, noting that the 2% raise for management is discretionary because these employees are not covered by negotiated bargaining agreements such as SEIU.
Administrators clarified that management employees advance annually on a step-and-column system, contingent upon satisfactory performance evaluations conducted by supervisors. Unlike SEIU and other bargaining units, management does not have a negotiated contract requiring across-the-board raises. Historically, however, the district has granted management employees salary increases comparable to other employee groups. The board does not evaluate management performance, which remains the responsibility of the superintendent, and the discretionary raise is separate from step-and-column progression.
Several trustees expressed discomfort with singling out management employees for criticism, stressing that principals, supervisors and directors play vital roles in supporting students and staff. Trustee Long Jiao highlighted principals’ deep connections with students, noting, “One thing I was really amazed was a lot of principals, they can just randomly walk over and the principal just call their name, okay, yes, they know almost every student,” to illustrate the significance of their contributions to campus communities. Trustees also cautioned against framing “management” as a negative label, emphasizing that all district employees’ work contributes meaningfully to student outcomes.
Board Vice President Ava Chiao voted in favor but indicated that future raises for management would warrant closer consideration given ongoing budget concerns. “I have previously agreed to this, so I’m going to say yes, but in the future, I’m going to reconsider, just because of realizing where everything is at,” Chiao said, noting that her decision is not personal but based on logistics and broader considerations.
Board President Satheesh Madhathil concluded the discussion by stating that all district employees “should be appreciated for the work they’re doing,” and that compensation decisions are intended to support morale and motivation across the organization.
