By Ryan Hagen Staff Writer
Posted: 06/10/2011 05:07:03 PM PDT

COLTON – Classified employees have agreed to take five furlough days during the 2011-12 school year in exchange for a promise of no layoffs, calling the deal a win-win.

“Our membership has always helped our district in times of need, and now they’ve helped us keep all our jobs,” said Nick Ramirez, president of the union that represents about 950 classified employees.

Members of California School Employees Association 244 – which represents Colton Joint Unified School District employees who are not managers, teachers, counselors or nurses – approved the agreement Thursday by a vote of 152 to 89.

District negotiators offered the deal in May, but it must be approved by the Board of Education before it becomes official. That vote is scheduled for Thursday, said district spokeswoman Katie Orloff.

District officials and employees should be proud of the offer, said Board Member Randall Ceniceros.

“This is a very compassionate bargaining unit,” Ceniceros said. “The (union) leadership has made every effort to negotiate with the district and save jobs, especially in this down economy.”

The district laid off 72 teachers, counselors and nurses to help it shave $10.5million from its 2011-12 budget.

In May, Gov. Jerry Brown issued a revised budget plan that returned $7.7million the district had expected the state to take. Since then, school board members have said they plan to re-hire some of those employees, and CSEA and teachers unions have been separately negotiating contracts.

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