- April 19, 2024
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Volusia County Schools recently reached a tentative bargaining agreement with teacher’s union Volusia United Educators, and the starting base salary for all teachers is expected to be raised to $47,500 in 2022 when the district receives the second round of state funds to increase teacher salaries, per the plan outlined by the governor.
VCS Human Resources Director Rachel Hazel said at the School Board meeting on Tuesday, Dec. 14, that some teachers could see a salary increase of $3,000, which is set to cost the district $54.9 million over the next three years. This includes $7.1 million for support staff.
Hazel walked the School Board through a history of raises at the school district, made more complicated over the last decade due to the different state statutes enacted, such as the end of tenures in 2011 and the negotiation of a performance pay methodology in 2015. Salaries, Hazel explained, depend on a when a teacher was hired, how much experience they entered into the district with, and where in the county they work.
“Everyone’s salary is their own story,” Hazel said. “What we essentially have is over 4,000 teachers and 4,000 different salary schedules.”
Other nearby districts are still negotiating teacher salaries, while some have ratified new agreements. Flagler County has moved forward with a $48,363 base salary, which is 1.8% higher than Volusia’s tentative base salary agreement. Orange County, which already has a base salary of $47,500, is at an impasse with its teachers union.
School Board members expressed gratitude for increasing new teacher salaries, but worried about the future should legislature decide to reduce funding, a move they believe would harm veteran teachers the most.
“It is very sad that the rite of passage for us to be able to do something for our veteran teachers is to get new teachers to $47,500,” School Board Chair Ruben Colon said. “That is what the legislature has decided, and it is what it is. We’re grateful for it. We take all kinds of money that comes our way.”
School Board member Carl Persis said he believes the governor’s plan to increase base salaries for teachers was “the right thing to do” because of the current teacher shortage, but that it was unfortunate, that Volusia’s starting salary was lower than other neighboring school district’s, an issue he blamed on district cost differential.
Persis hopes that now that base salaries will reach $47,500, the district will be given more of a leeway to spread future funds in a way that would be fairer to veteran teachers.
Later in the meeting, during public participation, VUE president Elizabeth Albert said that mid-year and veteran teachers — and support staff — have to be the priority.
“If Governor DeSantis’ plan, respectfully, was a great plan, we would have more teachers than we need,” Albert sad. “But that’s not the case. Across the state, there’s approximately 5,000 teacher vacancies.”
She asked that the board support Senate Bill 298, which if passed, would allow school districts to use state funds to raise salaries of other personnel if the district has met the minimum base salary for teachers. The bill would also remove grandfathered and performance pay contingencies, Albert explained.
The next legislative session begins Jan. 11.
“You’re absolutely right,” Albert said. “In a blink of an eye, they can take away our funding. If we do not make this a priority, if they don’t hear from Volusia County every single day from Jan. 11 to March 11, we’re not doing our job.”
Colon issued a call to action for teachers to contact their state representatives and tell their stories.
“They need to hear the stories of the veteran teachers who say, ‘For the last three years, this is how it has felt like to be felt unvalued,’” Colon said.
