- April 25, 2024
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Flagler Schools' paraprofessionals and school bus drivers will receive raises, pending School Board approval.
The Flagler Educational Support Professional Association members accepted the raises in a union-wide vote Thursday, which the school district and union negotiators had agreed to Nov. 1 in collective bargaining.
Union members ratified the agreement with 74% of the vote in favor and 24% against, said FESPA president Brun Hudson.
The School Board is expected to give its final approval at its regular monthly meeting Nov. 16.
According to the agreement, starting bus drivers without previous experience will be paid $15 an hour, a raise of $1.42. Salaries for starting paraprofessionals will increase $2.96 an hour to $15. As a result, each pay step for drivers will also increase by $1.42 and each pay step for paraprofessionals will increase by $2.96 across the board.
"That change in pay affects all 35 steps in each of those lanes," Hudson said.
Also, all other support staff employees will receive a raise of 66 cents an hour with minimum pay increasing to $11.75.
All of the raises are retroactive to July 1.
"Those two departments (bus drivers and paraprofessionals) are critical shortage areas that we have defined as three or less applicants for any particular job, and we are close to 30 behind (in those areas)," Paul Peacock, the district's chief of operational services, told the School Board at an agenda workshop Nov. 2.
Hudson and Peacock both noted that the agreement puts the school district ahead of the curve for Florida's minimum wage adjustments, which increased to $10 an hour on Sept. 30 and will go up $1 annually until 2026 when it will reach $15 an hour, according to a constitutional amendment passed by voters last year.
Peacock said the district will stay ahead of the curve.
Last month, the district and the support union agreed to added incentive pay for bus drivers and bus driver aides who take on extra routes due to the driver shortage, a nationwide problem.
Bus drivers will not only receive their regular hourly pay for the time it takes to complete the extra route, but they will also receive an extra $15. Bus driver aides will receive an extra $13 for the added route.
