OCEA

The next bargaining session will include counter proposals to the district. Thursday, June 18 @1:00 @ transportation on Simpson.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – INSTRUCTIONAL
On June 9, 2026, your union met with the District to continue contract negotiations for the 2026–2027 school year. We want to share a clear and simple update with all members.

✅ Tentative Agreements Reached
We are pleased to report that tentative agreements have been reached on several important issues:
• Sick Leave Bank Access Improvement
• Compassionate Sick Leave Donation Expansion
• Dues Deduction Clarification
• Step Increase Clarification
• School Psychologists Bargaining Rights Clarification

These agreements represent real progress in:
• Protecting employee rights
• Supporting members during personal hardships

💰 Wages Proposal from the District
The District has presented a wages proposal with separate treatment for 10+ years of experience due to a change in state law. This proposal is presented as part of a total wages and benefits package.
• New teachers (first year):
o Base salary remains $49,500
• Current teachers:
o 0–9 years of experience:
 Receive a 2% one-time (non-recurring) supplement
o 10+ years of experience:
 Receive a $1,800 permanent (recurring) salary raise
• The District also proposes that prior years’ percentage supplements be made permanent in individuals’ base pay going forward

👉 What this means:
• New teachers would receive no increase to base pay
• Many early-career teachers would receive a one-time payment, not a lasting raise
• Some veteran teachers would receive a permanent salary increase
• Percent increases earned in previous years (COLA, etc.) would no longer be lost if employees leave the district and then return

🏥 Insurance Changes Raise Concerns
The District’s proposal includes significant insurance plan changes:
• Removal of Wellness Points benefits
• Premium increases, especially for families
• Higher-level tier plan increases
• Out-of-pocket costs (deductibles and co-insurance) increases

👉 What this means:
• Increased insurance costs may reduce the value of monetary gains
• Some members could see less take-home pay overall
• Accumulated wellness points could become worthless

OCEA and SDOC have extensively discussed budget shortfalls and funding need. Counterproposals will be written, and OCEA and SDOC will return to the bargaining table on Thursday, June 18, 2026.

In solidarity,
Janet Moody
OCEA President

Send a message to learn more

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - Education Staff Professionals
On June 9, 2026, your union met with the District to continue contract negotiations for the 2026–2027 school year. We want to share a clear and simple update with all members.

✅ Tentative Agreements Reached
We are pleased to report that tentative agreements have been reached on several important issues:
• Sick Leave Bank Access Improvement
• Compassionate Sick Leave Donation Expansion
• School Safety On-Call Assignment Compensation Expansion
• Dues Deduction Clarification

These agreements represent real progress in:
• Protecting employee rights
• Supporting members during personal hardships
• Recognizing additional duties related to school safety

💰 Wages Proposal for the District
The District has presented a supplement proposal as part of a total wages and benefits package.
• The wages proposal is for a 2% one-time (nonrecurring) supplement

👉 What this means:
• This is a one-time payment, not a permanent salary increase.
• The supplement does not increase retirement.

🏥 Insurance Changes Raise Concerns
The District’s proposal includes significant insurance plan changes:
• Removal of Wellness Points benefits
• Premium increases, especially for families
• Higher-level tier plan increases
• Out-of-pocket costs (deductibles and co-insurance) increases

👉 What this means:
• Increased insurance costs may reduce the value of monetary gains
• Some members could see less take-home pay overall
• Accumulated wellness points could become worthless

OCEA and SDOC have extensively discussed budget shortfalls and funding need. Counterproposals will be written, and OCEA and SDOC will return to the bargaining table on Thursday, June 18, 2026.

In solidarity,
Janet Moody
OCEA President

Send a message to learn more

OCEA hosted the retirees tonight. It was a great evening with delicious food. OCEA is thankful for the years of commitment these individuals gave to our district and wish them the best as they learn to sleep in and use the bathroom whenever they need. ❤️
There are many special individuals in this group! The OCEA retirement organization is gaining some great people.

With great excitement OCEA is officially announcing that our Instructional unit is 61.1% today. A tremendous growth of over 400 members since March 1, 2026. This is because the contract mattered to instructional employees. Our next goal is a super majority!
ESPs the Showing of Interest Cards are ready to file with PERC. A vote is coming in the fall. In the mean time, every ESP has to start talking about the importance of our contract. The ESPs grew to 37.7% and we can get to 60%.

Lawmakers finalized the 2026-27 budget and here's some highlights...

➡️$201 million has been allotted for teacher salaries for the entire state of Florida, but almost half of Florida’s teachers could be excluded from receiving it. (TSIA money specifically for classroom teachers with 10 years teaching experience in Florida.)

➡️The Base Student Allocation (BSA) increased by 1.58%, far below what’s needed to keep pace with inflation.

➡️Florida’s voucher program was allocated $4.5 billion without any additional oversight or transparency despite Florida’s Auditor General finding a “myriad of accountability challenges.”

While Florida still has a long way to go in overall education investment, it's clear advocacy from educators, families, and communities through the Fund Our Future FL movement made a difference.

Increases to the BSA ($85 more per student from $50), additional teacher salary funding ($200 million from $100 million), and support for districts with declining enrollment all reflect progress since the end of the legislative session this March.

This progress will positively impact salary negotiations and contract collective bargaining continuing Wednesday.

Stay tunned and show up! Your participation MATTERS!

The OCEA members retirement dinner for those retirees ending by 5/31/26 is Tuesday. Be sure to RSVP to the number in your invitation today.

Don’t forget to sign up before Wednesday to participate in the last offering of this course before July 1.

In 24 hours our union collected 100 MAFs. 197 more to go with less than a week to collect. Ask your rep for your form. See comments.

Please sign and return your Membership Authorization Form. Currently missing 297. No Form=No 60%