The School Board, at its Feb. 24 meeting, unanimously approved an agreement with the SEIU Florida Public Services Union that gives non-instructional employees in the district a bonus award of $600 for the 2019-2020 school year.
“I want to commend SEIU President Kim Cronin and her group for their professionalism in working in partnership with the Board,” Superintendent Diane Kornegay said. “We continue to lobby Tallahassee for equity in funding for our district. In the meantime, we are doing what we can to compensate our employees for the hard work and commitment they show every day. Our non-instructional employees bring tremendous value to the educational process, and I am thankful we were able to reach an agreement that provides some additional pay, though certainly not as much as we would have liked.”
Under the agreement, employees will not experience an increase in their health insurance premium for the 2019-20 plan year, unless the employee selected a plan with a higher premium during open enrollment or following a qualifying life event.
Service employees were not included in the recent distribution of bonuses made available to K-12 teachers through the state’s Best and Brightest program or to pre-K teachers through district funds.
“Our team worked through a long process of reviewing the budget and understanding the district’s financial issues along with state mandates,” Cronin said. “The 2019-20 contract offered employees a $600 bonus. Our goal is to negotiate yearly wage increases, to see all employees making a living wage and having affordable health insurance.”
