- November 29, 2024
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The School Board meeting room was filled with passionate speeches from the public that took up hours of meeting time in the DeLand headquarters on Dec. 8. Two “hot topics,” school uniforms and teacher union negotiations, dominated the comments.
In the early part of the meeting, chants of “See the light, see the light” and singing could be heard from teachers who had gathered outside. The sound was muffled when the door was closed but briefly burst through when someone opened the door.
The teachers, led by Volusia Teacher Organization president Andrew Spar, had gathered a few blocks away and marched to the meeting site carrying battery-operated candles. Spar said the teachers were promised last year that things would get better, and they wanted the board to “see the light” and honor their promises. He estimated 500 attended the rally.
The VTO and the School District are currently in contract negotiations but no vote was made at the meeting.
“Employees in the district are not happy,” Spar said in a press release. “They don’t trust the school board or the district and they do not feel valued.”
“Employees in the district are not happy.”
Andrew Spar, president, Volusia Teachers Organization
The teachers recently voted for the second year to “work to contract,” which means they will not work beyond their contracted hours to complete paperwork, tutor students, sponsor clubs, etc. Last year, over 60% of employees participated in the “Work to the Contract,” Spar said. This year, the union believes even more will participate.
The “work to contract” is set to begin Jan. 4, if an agreement is not reached. Collective bargaining sessions are set for 2 p.m. on Dec. 11 and 3:30 p.m. Dec. 16. The sessions are held at the DeLand Administrative Complex, 200 N. Clara Avenue, and are open to the public.
The contract being negotiated is for the 2015-2016 year and the key sticking points are salary and health insurance. The union is seeking a raise, while the School Board has offered no raise this year, but an average raise of 3.12 for 2016-2017.
Five negotiations sessions have been held since October.
“We want to provide raises to our employees, but must be fiscally responsible,” stated Superintendent Tom Russell.
Last year’s raises for teachers came from the reserve fund.
For health insurance, the School Board is seeking to provide a set subsidy amount for teachers who want insurance beyond a free plan. The higher subsidies now being paid would not be available. This would “free up” money for raises in 2016-2017, according to spokeswoman Nancy Wait. She said research shows that the School District has been paying higher subsidies than surrounding districts.
The VTO has rejected the latest School District offer that included reduced subsidies because they say that overall they will make less money, even with the raises. Teachers have said they now make less than those in surrounding counties.
The School Board gave approval for a general policy for school uniforms in spite of a long line of people arguing against the proposal. There will be a formal vote on the details at a future School Board meeting that will be advertised to the public.
The School Board members said they believe there is a lot of support in the community and the schools for uniforms.
One person who spoke, who got a standing ovation, was Annabella Olivari, a fifth-grader at Pine Trail Elementary School, Ormond Beach. She said uniforms are being instituted because some students violate the dress code, and it was not fair to those who obey the code. She also said uniforms would be hot and uncomfortable most of the year.
“Uniforms will not improve test scores,” she said.
School Board members said reasons for uniforms include school security and more of a “level playing field.” They said uniforms would encourage students to show individuality by actions rather than clothes.
Only board member Linda Cuthbert voted against the school uniform policy, saying she did not want to micromanage schools and individual schools should decide for themselves.
