10% Raise Ratified for Non-Teachers

School custodians, nurses, cafeteria workers and other non-teaching employees of the Irvine Unified School District received a 10% raise this year, and those working 30 hours a week or more will be entitled to health and welfare benefits under a contract ratified this week by the school board.

Teachers and administrators received similar raises before the holidays as more cash was made available for salaries and benefits, board member Margie Wakeham said.

“It’s what we’re doing for all our employee groups,” she said, adding that a state windfall of money designated for employee contracts helps cover the added expenses.

The new contract, approved Tuesday, applies to the time between July 1, 2000, and June 30, 2001. District teachers are organized under a different employee union and had their contracts ratified in December, when raises for district administrators were also approved.