- September 16, 2026
Jean Claude Carvin moved a year ago with his wife to Palm Coast from Rochester, New York, to get away from the snow.
Carvin, who worked as a pastry chef for 44 years, took a retirement job with Flagler Schools. Last month, he began his second year as a school bus driver in Flagler. He said he has “a full-time job that qualifies as a part-time job.”
Carvin said he works about three hours on his morning shift and about four hours on his afternoon shift before punching out at about 5 to 5:15 p.m. He is a 10-month-a-year employee, he said.
Driving a school bus isn’t new to him, Carvin said. He also did it for 6½ years in New York State before moving down here.
Carvin was among a large group of Flagler Educational Support Personnel Association (FESPA) union members who attended a bargaining session on Aug. 27 at the Government Services Building.
FESPA asked the school district for the contractual one-step advancement plus an average raise of approximately 94 cents an hour across the bargaining unit, FESPA president Lisa Torres said.
Flagler County’s support workforce ranks 52nd among Florida 67 county school districts, according to a FESPA slide presentation. School bus drivers rank 49th with an average salary of $21,800. Data entry employees rank 52nd, bookkeepers rank 53rd, paraprofessionals rank 60th and food service employees rank 66th out of 67 counties with an average salary of $18,619.
The data come from the Florida Department of Education, said Bethany Koch, Florida Education Association’s service unit director, who is negotiating for FESPA.
The 52nd overall ranking would be even lower, according to the presentation, if not for a Flagler County AC tech and boiler employee, who ranks No. 2 in the state in salary for that position, thus skewing the average.
In a Flagler Schools email answering questions by the Observer, the district said it is reviewing the data.
“Because districts use different pay structures, work calendars, job classifications, and benefit models, statewide averages do not always provide a complete equivalent comparison,” the district said.
Last year’s final contract included a step increase plus an additional 25 cents per hour added to the salary schedule.
“That 25-cent increase by itself did not keep pace with the cost-of-living increase,” Torres said. “For an employee earning around $20 to $25 per hour, 25 cents represents only about a 1% to 1.25% increase, while inflation was higher than that.”
But the district says a 25-cent increase is equivalent to about $550,000 for salaries, and with benefits added, it totals $676,000. The district said it calculates this amount based on all support positions whether filled or not.
FESPA had delivered its proposal at a previous bargaining session. The union’s negotiators expected the district to present a counter proposal on Aug. 27. The District did not present a counter proposal but said the district is in financial distress.
Lauren Johnston, the district’s chief of operational services, told union negotiators that its proposal was not financially feasible.
The next bargaining session is scheduled for 5:15 p.m. Sept. 15 on the third floor of the GSB. The School Board and district leaders will hold a closed-door executive session on Sept. 8 to discuss bargaining.
A bargaining session with the Flagler County Educators Association, the teachers’ union, is scheduled for Sept. 9 at 4:30 p.m. at the GSB.
According to FESPA’s presentation, the district employed 827 full-time support staff in 2025-26, down from 917 the previous school year.
“Staffing figures can fluctuate based on the time of year the information is requested and the operational needs of the district,” Flagler Schools said in the email.
The district said it is always hiring. Visit FlaglerSchools.SchoolSpring.com to view current vacancies.
Flagler Schools remains committed to offering competitive compensation and benefits for employees. ... Through our recent benefits work, the district was able to minimize employee premium increases while maintaining access to quality coverage.
— FLAGLER SCHOOLS
“Flagler Schools remains committed to offering competitive compensation and benefits for employees,” the district said in the email. “We continually evaluate wages, benefits, and other elements of total compensation in relation to the local market and surrounding districts. This includes being mindful of insurance costs and other expenses that affect employees’ take-home pay. Through our recent benefits work, the district was able to minimize employee premium increases while maintaining access to quality coverage.”
Torres said support staff does the work that keeps the schools running.
“I love these people,” she said. “And I think it’s about time somebody made a stink for them. If that means I have to be the loud one in the room, I’m perfectly comfortable with that.”
