After more than 14 hours of presentations, arguments and testimony spread over several days, Orange County Public Schools and Orange County Classroom Teachers Association were presented an agreement on compensation by the Orange County School Board late Friday.

According to a release from the district, if ratified by the union, the agreement would give teachers a $2,600-$3,000 pay increase — which would include a $2,500 one-time payment, a $100 cost-of-living adjustment and $200 or $400 performance payment depending on the individual teacher's achievement of "effective" or "highly effective" ratings.

The agreement would also grant teachers a 3-year retention supplement for school years 2021-2022, 2022-2023 and 2023-2024, based on their experience. 

The years of experience payments would be paid out based on the following formula:

• 5-9 years — $500
• 10-14 years — $1,000
• 15-19 years — $1,500
• 20-24 years — $2,000
• 25-29 years — $2,500
• 30+ years — $3,000

An agreement was also made on health insurance benefits, which would remain as-is through September 2022. After which, a new plan will go into effect, which includes no cost increases for premiums, but does have some increases in deductibles and out-of-pocket expenses, based on which plan a teacher selects.

Now that an agreement has been presented by the School Board, the ultimate decision to accept it will be up to the members of the Orange County Classroom Teachers Association, who will have to vote in the near future to ratify or reject the agreement. 

Saturday morning, the association released a statement.

"We are pleased that the School Board voted to increase the cost of living base from the insulting $25 a year to $100. It is still not what our hard-working teachers deserve, but considering the inadequate funds from Tallahassee, it certainly is a welcome improvement," the statement said.

The full statement can be read on the association's Facebook page.