Hillsborough School Unions Reach Tentative Agreements With District

HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY, FL ? Hillsborough County Public Schools teachers and staff could soon see a salary increase.

The school district and the Hillsborough Classroom Teachers Association tentatively agreed to provide salary increases to all instructional staff.

Hillsborough County School Superintendent Van Ayres said the increase is dependent on each instructional employee?s current step level.

"These increases are well-deserved for our dedicated educators and provide a competitive wage compared to other nearby districts," he said.

The school district and union also agreed to:

• A one-time longevity stipend of $2,500 for all instructional staff at the top of the A and B salary schedule.
• Exception student education instructional staff who case manage primary exceptionalities for students for the entire school year will receive a one-time supplement.
• Employees on levels 20-25 under the new student services salary schedule will receive a one-time $1,000 supplement.
• All eligible national board-dertified Teachers will receive a one-time $1,000 payment for completion of 10 hours of approved mentoring and training.
• Eligible employees who are licensed school psychologists, licensed school social workers, licensed speech language pathologists, certified behavior analysts and mental health clinicians will be paid a one-time $500 supplement.
• Employees will enjoy a no-cost premium employee-only health insurance plan.
• The salary increases will be retroactive to July 1.

?The school board and I have been focused on prioritizing our employee groups to ensure we can continue to retain our current educators while also recruiting new instructional personnel. These well-deserved salary increases will demonstrate how much we value their hard work and dedication as we ensure a high-quality education for all students. I want to thank both the HCTA and the district bargaining teams for negotiating this agreement for our employees,? said Ayres.

The total compensation package offered to eligible education support professionals amounts to $8.3 million, which includes $4.9 million for paraprofessionals and $3.4 million for education support professionals.

?Recognizing the commitment and dedication of our instructional support employees has been a top priority for me and our school board members," Ayres said. "The board and I remain focused on a supportive organizational culture and salary increases are an important component of that priority."

?We are happy with this agreement as it gets well-deserved salary increases into the hands of our support professionals. Both sides agree to continue to be creative in getting our lowest-paid employees equalized pay. HCTA will continue to work to meet the needs of our students and support professionals,? said Johnny Green, vice president of the HCTA.

Additionally, Hillsborough County Public Schools reached a tentative agreement with the Hillsborough School Employees Federation, which represents employees in transportation, student nutrition services, security, maintenance and custodial services.

The total package offered by the school district and agreed upon by HSEF union leadership amounts to $11.5 million dollars in recurring salary increases.

Under this agreement, two district positions that have been in critical need will receive a 16 percent salary increase. The new starting pay for bus drivers will move to $18.65 an hour, a competitive wage with school districts across the state. Starting pay for school security officer 2 will be increased to $21.45 an hour.

All other employees represented by HSEF will receive a salary increase. The salary adjustments will be retroactive to July 1.

Ayres said he and the school board School are committed to improving compensation packages for district employees to retain and recruit a highly diverse workforce.

?Showing our employees that they are appreciated has been a top priority for me and our school board members," said Ayres. "Salary increases are one step in that direction. The school board and I remain focused on a supportive organizational culture ? where employees can collaborate and create the best educational opportunities for our students. Together we are Hillsborough Strong.?

?This is a significant day for our employees. This is the most money that has ever been negotiated for the employees we represent. We thank Superintendent Ayres, the school board and the entire bargaining team for prioritizing the employees who are supporting students every day. This will go a long way in showing employees they are appreciated,? said Iran Alicea, president of Hillsborough School Employees Federation.

The tentative agreements must still be ratified by the employees and approved by the Hillsborough County School Board.