The scandal-torn Los Angeles Unified School District has struck a last-minute deal to boost teacher pay by nearly 14% – despite lagging student performance and a widening corruption probe that has rocked the nation’s second-largest school system.

The tentative two-year agreement with United Teachers Los Angeles would see salaries rise by 13.86% over two years, depending on experience.

Under the deal, beginning teacher salaries would jump from about $68,000 to $77,000 annually, while those with 15 years’ experience would rise from $113,374 to $125,156.

The pay hike comes even as the district’s roughly 390,000 students perform below both state and federal literacy averages.

The agreement, expected to cost at least $650 million, also includes a plan to hire 450 additional support staff, including counselors, psychologists and social workers.

The deal follows months of tense negotiations after the union’s contract expired last June, and is aimed at heading off a strike planned for Tuesday.

But the threat of walkouts has not been fully eliminated.

Service Employees International Union Local 99, which represents custodians, cafeteria workers and other service staff, has yet to reach a deal with the district.

Those workers, who earn an average of $35,000, have been offered 13% over three years, significantly less than teachers.

UTLA has vowed to strike in solidarity if an agreement is not reached.

“The truth has always been clear – the district CAN afford these changes,” said Julie Van Winkle, vice president of the union representing around 38,000 teachers.

“This contract fight has never been about prolonging conflict. It has always been about securing the respect and investments that educators and students deserve.”

Additional benefits in the tentative deal include four weeks of unpaid parental leave, expanded health care for substitute teachers, protections against artificial intelligence in classrooms, and stipends for special education classes that exceed size limits.

Much of the push for higher pay has been driven by inflation, the union argued, which has made day-to-day living more difficult for teachers.

The agreement must still be ratified by union members and the district’s board before it becomes final.

Meanwhile, the district remains without a permanent leader after Superintendent Alberto Carvalho, 59, was suspended on full pay on February 25, when FBI agents raided his home and office as part of a corruption probe tied to the failed schools AI program AllHere.

Former technical project manager Hong “Grace” Peng, 53, is also facing trial, accused of taking part in a mammoth $22 million fraud scheme, described by Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman as the largest kickback operation ever uncovered in the nation’s second-largest school system.

“This case involves a blatant abuse of public trust — funneling taxpayer dollars intended for students into personal coffers,” Hochman said.

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