ORLANDO, Fla. — Members of the Orange County Classroom Teachers Association voted almost unanimously to approve a collective bargaining agreement with the district that would result in a pay increase of more than 9% for some educators.

While insurance rates would go up as part of the agreement, Orange County Public Schools has agreed to a premium discount to mitigate the increase when it goes into effect in the 2024-2025 school year.

What You Need To Know

  • Members of the Orange County Classroom Teachers Association voted 99.5% in favor of a proposed collective bargaining agreement with the school district

  • As part of the agreement, all teachers would receive a 2% raise, while "effective" teachers would recieve a 7.75% raise, and "highly effective" teachers would receive a 9.7% raise

  • Orange County Public Schools also agreed to give teachers a $4.4 million premium discount to offset increases scheduled to go into effect during the 2024-2025 school year

OCPS leaders said their recent proposal would result in an increase of anywhere from $0 to $646 a year for employee-only coverage, while a family plan could see an increase of $1,325 to $3,459 a year.

The discount on those premiums for the next school year will cost the district about $4.4 million.

Per the agreement, all teachers are guaranteed a 2% raise, but "effective" teachers' increase would jump to 7.75% and "highly effective" teachers would receive a 9.7% increase.

Both sides lauded union members' approval of the agreement by a 99.5% margin.

"This contract victory was achieved through advocacy and unity," union President Clinton McCracken said in a statement. "It is not only an agreement that teachers deserved and earned—it also helps our students succeed. Our Union remains dedicated to ensuring that our educators are recognized for their teaching excellence." 

Orange County Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Maria Vazquez said she was also pleased to see the teachers overwhelmingly approve the agreement.

"With this vote, our hard-working teachers have guaranteed their well-deserved raises," she said.

According to the district, 7,123 ballots were cast, with 7,047 teachers voting "yes" to the agreement, and only 35 voting "no." There were 41 "spoiled ballots" that were not counted, district officials said.

According to information from OCPS, salary increases and retroactive pay will be included in teachers' April 10 paycheck. Other supplements will be included in their April 24 and June 5 paychecks.

The approval caps months of disagreement between the union and the district, with the increase in insurance premiums being one of the main sticking points.

In February, Vazquez said the district was facing a $65 million increase in costs that it could not simply absorb.

“Keeping up with surging health care costs is simply not sustainable for our self-insured status,” she said during a press conference.

But McCracken argued that the increased cost for insurance would make it more difficult to get teachers to come to Orange County.

“That’s pretty difficult to consider, especially when we’re trying to recruit teachers to come to OCPS," he said. "We have empty — we have vacant positions."

While the agreement for the 2023-2024 school year has been settled, a release from the Orange County Classroom Teachers Association said the union has "already asked the district back to the negotiation table, and the parties have resumed discussions to address salary increases and other issues for the upcoming 2024-25 school year."