Last school year, UTLA members hit the picket lines, packed Grand Park, and demonstrated strike readiness to win a strong contract that keeps moving the line forward. As part of the UTLA-LAUSD 2025-2027 agreement, UTLA members won a once-in-a-lifetime transformation of the pay scale, setting up a strong foundation for educators over the course of their careers and delivering significant raises at every level.

Moving every member of the UTLA bargaining unit from the previous incomprehensible scale to the new scale is a complex task. It is possible that the district will make some mistakes in implementation of the new scale. It’s important to understand your paycheck and ensure you are getting paid the correct rate.

UTLA Secretary Jen McAfee on how to read your September 5 paycheck

New Salary Scale Implementation Timeline

Consistent with the contract agreement, LAUSD is implementing the new salary scales in four phases (described below). LAUSD has posted the July 1, 2026 to December 31, 2026 Salary Tables for the current phase of implementation. Everyone will be appropriately placed on the final salary tables by June 30, 2027. 

When looking at the salary tables LAUSD posted online for the current July 2026-December 2026 phase, you will see a scale that is more than the old scale but still less than the final agreed-upon scale in the Tentative Agreement. That is because of the phase-in. 

Phase 1
Retro July 1, 2025 – June 30, 2026 (on the September 5 paycheck): Everyone receives a 4% retroactive pay increase above what you were paid during the 2025-2026 school year. This will be included in the September 5 paycheck.

Phase 2
Effective July 1, 2026 (on the September 5 paycheck): The pay scales are increased again to either the target rate of the cell or 5%, whichever is less. The overwhelming majority of UTLA members will receive 5%. This second salary increase is applied retroactively for July and August of 2026. LAUSD has posted the July 1, 2026 to December 31, 2026 Salary Tables for the current phase of implementation.

Phase 3
January 1, 2027: Any cells on the salary schedule that are not yet at their target rate on the new scales, and anyone in those cells, gets another raise capped at an additional 8%. At this point, 80% of educators will be at their full placement on the new scale. 

Phase 4 — Full Implementation
June 30, 2027: Any cells on the salary scales that are not at their target rate on the new scales, and anyone in those cells, will be increased by whatever amount it takes to get to the full implementation of the new scales. Anyone not at their full placement on the new scale will see their salary raised the rest of the way. At this point, every member will be fully on the new scale, the percentages between the columns and rows will be consistent as agreed to, and rows 26 and 27 of the T Table and SE Table will be fully phased out (eliminated) as employees in those cells will have received pay increase to match the newly increased row 25.

If you believe that there is an error after reviewing your paystub (see tools below to help), contact LAUSD by calling (213) 241-2570 or email payrollsupport@LAUSD.net. Be sure to have these items ready: 

  • Your paystub 
  • Employee ID number 
  • Job title 
  • Which pay scale you are on 
  • What specifically you think is incorrect