The Osceola County Education Association and School District of Osceola County returned to the bargaining table on June 26, 2024 to reach a tentative agreement for 2024-2025 instructional salary and benefits package. All instructional employees will be receiving a 3% recurring retention supplement in addition to performance pay increases of $750 for effective and grandfathered teachers, as well as $1,000 for highly effective teachers. This totals a 4.8% base salary increase for the average instructional employee, a historic win on top of maintaining last year’s 5% increase.
Additionally, OCEA has established new supplements for instructional reading, math, science, and MTSS coaches, VPK Grade Chairs, elementary club sponsors, and Osceola Virtual School teachers. Curricular supplements (grade chairs, department chairs, extracurricular sponsors, etc.) will be increased, marking the first raise for base academic supplements since 2006. This victory was achieved through OCEA members’ advocacy for nearly three years. We sincerely thank all members who persisted! You represent the power of a well-organized collective voice.
This voice has also been used to provide feedback on the proposed attendance supplement. However, on Wednesday SDOC retracted their initial offer, instead insisting only classroom teachers with one absence per semester, regardless of day, could be paid. OCEA found this to be grossly unfair and unrealistic, and as SDOC was unwilling to budge, no attendance supplement shall be given next year. OCEA firmly believes that improving working conditions and reducing stress levels will be far more likely to improve employee attendance. Providing teachers with adequate time to prepare for effective lessons is a critical win for educators and students. Therefore, OCEA remained steadfast in preventing many proposed district changes. There will be:
- NO loss of protected planning time
- NO loss of classroom set-up time
- NO loss of transfer rights
- NO loss of elementary grade chairs
- NO loss of dress code rights
- NO loss of bargaining rights.
All of these protections have been won through OCEA’s 50 years of contract negotiations. We will not compromise on protecting educators’ time and working conditions. We appreciate our membership’s continued support and look forward to continuing to serve together in the 2024-2025 school year!
Tentative Agreement
1. 2024-25 Salary Negotiations
- In accordance with the requirements of state law [e.g., Sections 1011.62, 1012.01, 1012.02, 1012.22, and 1012.34, Florida Statutes;2024-25 General Appropriations Act; 2024-25 General Appropriations Act Implementing Bill; and the Education Conforming Bill (2024), or equivalent bills, etc.] and the performance pay salary schedule as previously bargained, each instructional bargaining unit employee shall receive as:
o a first-year employee for the 2024-25 school year = a minimum base salary of $49,500 (which reflects a salary increase of $500); or
o an existing employee returning for the 2024-25 school year = a recurring salary increase as follows:
§ $1,000, or twenty (20) salary schedule levels, for instructional employees who were hired on or after July 01, 2011, and have annual contract status per Section 1012.335, Florida Statutes, and whose final summative evaluation rating is “Highly Effective”;
§ $750, or fifteen (15) salary schedule levels, for instructional employees who were hired on or after July 01, 2011, and have annual contract status per Section 1012.335, Florida Statutes, and whose final summative evaluation rating is “Effective”;
§ $750, or fifteen (15) salary schedule levels, for instructional employees who were hired prior to July 01, 2011, and have grandfathered contract status (e.g., Continuing Contract or Professional Services Contract status) per Section 1012.33, Florida Statutes, and who do not relinquish grandfathered contract status and do not opt into the performance salary schedule;
| Evaluation Rating | Total Amount | Salary Schedule Levels |
|---|---|---|
| Highly Effective | $1,000 | 20 |
| Grandfathered | $750 | 15 |
| Effective | $750 | 15 |
- The recurrence of these 2024-25 salary increases for eligible instructional employees are subject to and dependent upon the renewal of the Teacher Salary Increase Allocation or its designated equivalent as appropriated by the Florida Legislature each subsequent school/ fiscal year per state law;
Recurring Retention Supplement
The School Board recognizes the need to reward and retain instructional employees who continue employment with the School District and offers a consecutive recurring retention supplement that is:
o equal to 3% of each individual currently employed instructional employee’s 2023-24 minimum base salary [and rounded up to the next highest $50 increment (e.g., level) on the existing salary schedule];
o eligible for inclusion within calculations of the individual employee’s Florida Retirement System (FRS) retirement benefits;
o an ongoing commitment to the compensation of eligible individual employees who continue to work for the School District without a break in service; and
o in compliance with Sections 121.021 and 1012.22, Florida Statutes;
Note: The 2024-25 Recurring Retention Supplement shall be separate from the prior 2023-24 Recurring Retention Supplement, which applies only to those employees who remain eligible under the terms and conditions that both parties ratified for the 2023-24 school year. These eligible employees shall receive both Recurring Retention Supplements.
Changes to Supplements
The School Board recognizes the need to reward instructional employees who beyond their primary job assignments, fill roles that provide additional educational opportunities for students in the arts, athletics, curriculum, and other essential areas. In addition, the School Board recognizes the need for adjustments to these supplements based upon many factors.
As a result of collaboration in the Supplements Committee, both parties agree to the proposed revisions to the existing Supplements Schedule within the contract language section of this proposal document.
In addition, the School District shall continue work in the Supplements Committee during the 2024-25 school year toward the mutual goal of additional revisions that adjust compensation for specific roles.
2. No design changes to our School District’s major medical Health Insurance Plan;
3. Flexible Spending Account Match where the School Board shall match the employee’s FSA savings of $750 or more with a contribution of $250 in order to assist the employee toward the employee’s deductible;
4. Continued commitment to our School District’s Center for Employee Health; and
5. Memoranda of Understanding and contract language upon which both parties have reached tentative agreement since the ratification of our current Instructional Employees’ Contract on September 5, 2023.
- Memoranda of Understanding
o 2023-24 MOU re Uni-SIG Grant Impact [Liberty High School]
o 2023-24 MOU re Adjustments to Supplements
o 2024-25 MOU re Voluntary Paid Workday Before Pre-Planning
o 2024-25 MOU re School Open Houses and Elementary School Parent-Teacher Report Card Conferences
o 2024-25 MOU re Recruitment Incentives
- Contract Language
o Article 4.13-3 [Professional Learning Trainer Rate of Pay]
o Article 7.02-3 [Transfers]
o Article 16.02 [Credit for Years of Service for Retired Educators]
o Appendix C: Supplements [Club Allocations]
o Appendix C: Supplements [New Supplements Schedule; New Supplements; Revised Supplements]
Note: The new Supplements Schedule shall replace the current one in the contract in order to ensure greater transparency for supplements. Any new supplements shall be assigned a new code within the School District’s Employee Information System (e.g., TERMS).