- April 26, 2024
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Volusia County Schools are continuing to sail stormy seas as teachers and the School Board have been unable to reach agreement on a contract for the current year; the Volusia Teacher Organization has called members to work only contracted hours; and animosity has spilled over into the discussions on requiring school uniforms for next year and the quality of current janitorial services.
The School Board declared an impasse on the contract negotiations on Feb. 2, saying talks may continue, but final contract decisions will be made by the Board. The VTO responded with a request to turn the matter over to a special magistrate.
As of Feb. 8, the School Board and VTO were in the process of selecting a special magistrate. The magistrate’s recommendations will be nonbinding, and the School Board will make the final decisions.
A group of parents called 3 Moms, along with the VTO, has arranged town hall meetings for parents, teachers and all concerned, with the closest one to Ormond Beach set for 6:30 p.m., Feb. 11 at Hinson Middle School, 1860 N. Clyde Morris Blvd., Daytona Beach.
The stated purpose of these informal meetings will be to review current issues schools face, including funding, budget priorities, teacher shortages, curriculum and the “ongoing struggles to keep our schools clean.” (The school district outsourced janitorial services last year and many have complained about the service.)
The teachers’ union is seeking a 3% raise for the current year, and the School Board has offered a raise of 3.12%, effective July 1, 2016, for the next school year.
The average salary for Volusia County teachers is $44,250. The average is $46,266 for Brevard; $52,646 for Flagler; $43,147 for Lake; $45,176 for Marion; $47,028 for Seminole; and $46,775 for Putnam.
Nancy Wait, director of communications for the School Board, said Volusia teachers have received raises totaling an average of nearly 30% over the past decade. She also said neighboring school districts have lower health care costs than Volusia County.
The School Board is asking for adjustments to the health plan which they say would save money and allow for future raises. Wait said they are proposing a reduced subsidy cap that would bring Volusia teachers “to the middle of the pack when compared to our six bordering districts, rather than the highest.”
Andrew Spar, president of the VTO, said the adjustments would result in a reduction in total compensation for Volusia County teachers, which would be lower than surrounding counties.
“It affects the morale at the school.”
Joanna Kaney Olivari, parent
Ormond Beach parent Joanna Kaney Olivari, who has three children at Pine Trail Elementary School, formed the group called “3 Moms” with Leslie LaRue, of DeLand, and Kim Short, of Port Orange.
Kaney said she’s concerned with the “raw tensions” between the School Board and the teachers for the second year in a row. There were also tough negotiations last year.
“It affects the morale at the school,” she said. “At Teacher Appreciation Day we wanted to make sure they knew we appreciate them.”
She said it bothers her that the School Board has put so much time and energy into the “silly uniform situation” rather than resolving issues with the teachers.
School Board members have mentioned at meetings that there is no budget for salary increases in the coming year. Short said she would like to see a budget advisory committee, made up of citizens, to work with the School Board. It would be similar to the committee that makes recommendations on how the School Board spends funds from the half-cent sales tax.
Last year, the state of Florida awarded school districts that had a uniform policy $10 per student, and it may be approved again for this year. Some people have suggested that the money is the reason for the push toward uniforms. At a recent School Board meeting, members of the audience asked why there was nothing in the uniform policy about the money going to help low income students purchase the uniforms.
School Superintendent Tom Russell responded that it would be logical to spend the money on uniforms for low income students.
Wait said after the meeting that if the School Board qualifies for the funds, the Board would then make the decision on how to utilize them.
With some teachers working to contract, options like after-school tutoring or getting help during lunch time isn't always available.
Andrew Spar, president of the Volusia Teachers Organization, said that around 50% of the county's teachers are currently working to contract. Although that number is down from last year, recent events make the organization think that the number will soon rise again. But even with half the county's teachers working less hours, he said the issue doesn't have a major impact on the students.
"The impact is more on district operations," he said. "We told our teachers that their primary responsibility is educating children. They may not be as readily available for PTA meetings and things they do outside the school day for free."
Though most of the county's elementary schools have paid after-school tutoring programs, not all do. And those students might suffer from the lack of help.
The Ormond Beach Observer reached out to all Ormond Beach schools, but no teachers were available for comment.
"It is critical for our teachers to focus their efforts on their students and we do all we can to protect teachers’ planning time to prepare for their classes," said Osceola Elementary School Assistant Principal Jose Colon in an email. "While we may have some teachers working to the contract, and others are not, we are confident that they are providing our students with a quality education."
“We work hard to make sure that teacher planning time is used to prepare for instruction, assessment, intervention, and communication, said Pathways Elementary School Principal Jason Watson in an email. "While some of our teachers are working to the contract and others are not, we know they are continuing to provide a quality education for our students.”
Spar said teachers might take longer to grade papers than normal, and are asking parents and students to assist where they can.
"Most students and parents know what's going on," he said. "They understand why it might take a teacher a little longer to grade a paper."
