After years of fighting for a raise, the teachers union in Osceola County will finally get better pay.
The union voted 1,222 in favor of a new contract from the school district. Some 741 teachers voted against.
For two years the teachers in Osceola County have protested and fought hard for a raise without any luck. More recently, however, the school district made an offer.
With the new contract, all 3,600 educators will receive a pay raise ranging from $550-$700, depending on performance.
A new health care clinic is being established for school district employees and their families as well. Although a final opening date hasn’t been set, the school district said they expect it to open this school year.
Starting teacher salaries will also receive a boost. New teachers will earn $40,100. That means Osceola County will provide the highest starting salary in Central Florida.
The teachers union has said the lack of raises has been the big reason why the county lost about 400 teachers last year.
Initially teachers were asking for more money, but for months have been unable to reach an agreement. The union explained they agreed to the smaller raise because they were able to negotiate and establish more job security for teachers.
“Do you want job security or more money? And our team went with job security,” said Apryle Jackson, president of the Osceola County Educators Association.
With the new contract, teachers will automatically be rehired based on their merit as long as they perform well based on in-house criteria and testing.
“It’s hard to work at a job day to day when they don’t know if they will have a job next year,” Jackson said.
Those bonuses start in October.