Teachers have rejected a 7.5 percent salary increase offer from the Bolinas-Stinson Union School District, and the two sides are now turning to a state-appointed fact finder in a last-ditch effort to resolve their differences. The district’s non-teaching staff—bus drivers, cooks, custodians and others—accepted a 7.5 percent raise that will bring the minimum wage for current employees to $30 an hour. New classified hires would gradually be bumped up to that level. But teachers, citing the high cost of living in the Bay Area, are holding out for more. “The Bolinas-Stinson Teachers’ Association is hoping that teachers can be prioritized in this year’s budget,” they said in a statement to the Light. The district’s proposed increase for teachers would be phased in over three years, starting retroactively. For the 2024-2025 school year, the increase would be 1 percent, followed by raises of 3.5 percent this year and 3 percent next year. In addition, the district offered a one-time payment equal to 4.5 percent of a teachers’ 2024-2025 salary. Superintendent Leo Kostelnik said the proposal is the district’s last offer—and it’s one he said would make his teachers the highest paid in Marin. Senior teachers at Bo-Stin now earn a maximum salary of $132,922. The district also provides $30,770 per employee in health coverage. Countywide, a family of four earning below $154,700 is classified as low-income. “We agree: Many people with working incomes, including our employees, struggle with the Bay Area cost of living,” Mr. Kostelnik said. “However, the district cannot pay out revenues it does not have.” Without budget cuts or revenue increases, the district will have to cover the salary increases by dipping into its strategic reserve. The proposed 7.5 percent salary hike is 4 percent higher than the district’s previous offer, which it increased after negotiations with a mediator failed. The teachers are requesting a 4.5 percent increase this year and a 4 percent increase next year, along with changes to the salary structure that, according to the district, would result in an overall 12.7 percent bump in pay. Both sides’ proposals come on top of 2.6 percent annual increases that were already negotiated in the previous three-year contract. A fact-finding hearing is expected to take place next month. If it does not result in an agreement, the two sides can attempt once again to bridge their differences—or the teachers can go on strike.