Why had VAESP members received only a 1.9 percent cost-of-living increase as of late November 2018?

Under the provisions of ESSSB 6362, all Vancouver Public Schools employees are eligible to receive up to a 3.1 percent overall cost-of-living adjustment for the 2018-19 school year. Of that 3.1 percent cap, only 1.9 percent of it is passed through as state funding increases. Per the expired VAESP contract, only pass-through state-funded increases shall be granted until an agreement is reached on a new contract. The remaining 1.2 percent must be collectively bargained.