ORLANDO, Fla. — During a Thursday afternoon press conference, Orange County Public Schools superintendent Dr. Maria Vasquez announced the district's proposal for salary and insurance benefits.

During her remarks, Vasquez called the proposed average 9% raise a "historic" salary increase.

What You Need To Know

  • Orange County Public Schools superintendent Dr. Maria Vasquez announced the district's proposal for salary and insurance benefits

  • Under the proposal, teachers would see an average 9% raise, which could increase to 9.7% for teachers who are considered "highly effective"

  •  However, the district's insurance proposal could mean higher insurance costs for some employees

  •  Vasquez said there would still be a no-cost plan available, but those seeking the highest coverage plan would expect to pay $646 more in premiums per year

  • The Orange County School Board is scheduled to hear from the teachers union and the district at a March 5 impasse hearing on the proposal

"This is the largest salary offer ever, in the history of Orange County Public Schools," Vasquez said.

Under the plan, the average teacher would see an annual raise of $5,400. According to the district, the increases would range from $3,775 to $7,950 for their most experienced teachers.

If approved, the salary increase would be retroactive, providing pay going back to the beginning of the 2023-2024 school year.

However, Vasquez's announcement also brought news of their proposal for health insurance.

The district, which is self-insured, said that making no changes to rates would result in an increased cost of $65 million, making the 9% average raise proposal impossible.

Instead, the district proposed increasing premiums, noting that it planned to cover more than 60% of the projected cost increase.

"With the district assuming the majority of this increase, employee-only premiums would range from $0 to $646 annually, depending on the plan chosen by the employee," said Vasquez.

While district officials say the planned salary increase offsets these costs, Orange County Classroom Teachers Association president Clinton McCracken said that many teachers simply can't afford such a large increase in the cost of coverage.

"While $700 or $1,000 might not seem like very much to some people, for teachers who are living paycheck to paycheck, that's a significant amount," he said, noting that the no-cost plan provides poor health care options for families.

He also said that a special magistrate recommended that there be no changes to health insurance costs, and teachers have urgently been hoping and waiting for raises since August.

"I don't know why the district has been waiting until the very last minute," McCracken said. "They're the ones who have been dragging this along. We have been calling on our members to email the School Board and let them know they need to accept all of the magistrate's recommendations."

From here, the Orange County School Board will hear from both the union and district during a 9:30 a.m. impasse hearing on March 5.