TAMPA, Fla. — Teachers and instructors in Hillsborough County could soon receive salary bumps after a tentative agreement between the school district and teachers association.
On Monday, Hillsborough County School District leaders in a statement said a tentative agreement was reached between the district and the Hillsborough Classroom Teachers Association (HCTA) and would include salary increases for all instructional staff.
All of this remains tentative and won't be official until members of the HCTA ratify the agreement and the Hillsborough County School Board members approve it. The school district did not provide a potential date when this would happen.
The agreement grants "each bargaining unit" employee a credit of one year of experience and will move into a new salary schedule. The amount of salary increase will depend on which step level the instructional employee is currently at.
“We are excited to make this agreement for our hard-working employees and for our schools. We know locally our employees do a great job every day meeting the needs of students and hope that we can collaborate to do more for our employees in the near future," HCTA President Rob Kriete said in a statement.
If the agreement is ratified and approved without any changes, here's what else educators will receive:
- A one-time longevity stipend of $2,500 for all instructional staff at the top of the A and B salary schedule.
- ESE instructional staff who case manage primary exceptionalities for students for the entirety of the school year will receive a one-time supplement.
- Employees on levels 20-25 under the new Student Services salary schedule will receive a one-time $1,000 supplement.
- All eligible National Board-Certified Teachers will receive a one-time $1,000 payment for completion of ten hours of approved mentoring and training.
- Eligible employees who are Licensed School Psychologists, Licensed School Social Workers, Licensed Speech Language Pathologists, Certified Behavior Analysts, and Mental Health Clinicians will be paid a one-time $500 supplement.
- Employees will enjoy a $0 premium employee-only health insurance plan.
- The salary increases will be retroactive to July 1, 2023.
“The School Board and I have been focused on prioritizing our employee groups to ensure we can continue to retain our current educators while also recruiting new instructional personnel. These well-deserved salary increases will demonstrate how much we value their hard work and dedication as we ensure a high-quality education for all students. I want to thank both the HCTA and the district bargaining teams for negotiating this agreement for our employees,” Interim Superintendent Van Ayres said in a statement.
Back in May, the Hillsborough County School Board approved a pay bump for teachers with experience. While the HCTA said it was grateful for the increase, they and teachers said it wasn't enough to help teachers who are struggling financially.