ACPS contract ratified by education support professionals but not teachers

BY JENNIFER CABRERA

Updated at 5:30 p.m. with statement from ACEA President Carmen Ward

ALACHUA COUNTY, Fla. – A contract that would give Alachua County Public Schools (ACPS) employees a 1.6% retroactive raise on top of their annual 1% step increase was ratified yesterday by education support professionals (ESPs), but teachers voted against ratifying the contract.

According to documents provided to Alachua Chronicle, ESPs voted 730-279 to ratify the contract, but teachers voted 517-827 against ratification. Elementary school teachers seemed to be particularly opposed to the contract, with Alachua Elementary voting 5-22, Chiles Elementary voting 3-37, Stephen Foster Elementary voting 4-25, Hidden Oak Elementary voting 11-33, High Springs Community School voting 18-41, Irby Elementary voting 6-26, Littlewood Elementary voting 15-41, Newberry Elementary voting 6-38, Norton Elementary voting 6-37, Parker Elementary voting 5-28, Talbot Elementary voting 0-40, and Wiles Elementary voting 9-31. However, Gainesville High School teachers voted 7-65, Kanapaha Middle School voted 8-28, and Westwood Middle School voted 7-22. The other schools’ votes were either in favor of the contract or closer to even.

The district reduced early-release Wednesdays to once a month (previously every week in elementary schools and some centers) at the beginning of the school year as part of the contract negotiations; however, although the contract failed, the district announced that the agreement will remain in effect.

ACPS stated that the failed ratification vote means that negotiations between the district and ACEA will have to start over, and the district is working with ACEA to establish a new timeline.

ACEA is requesting an immediate return to early-release Wednesdays

ACEA President Carmen Ward told Alachua Chronicle, “It’s pretty unusual for employees to vote down a tentative agreement. This means all the tentative agreements no longer exist, and we have to start over.”

Ward said elementary teachers dislike the reduction in early-release Wednesdays, which she says the union was “strong-armed” into; she also said the temporary Memorandum of Understanding that reduced early-release Wednesdays was based on a tentative signed agreement that “no longer exists because the bargaining unit (teachers) failed to ratify it.”

Ward said she sent an email to the district, requesting an immediate return to weekly early-release Wednesdays “because that is the ratified contract language until there is a successor contract. We are disputing the district’s stance that the vote did not matter and monthly early-release Wednesdays will continue – but it does matter.” 

Ward said she has requested an immediate return to bargaining: “Clearly, the employees have spoken, and I never told them not to ratify their agreement, but we did go to impasse over the lack of funding the school board is investing in their employees. We’re in a teacher shortage, and teachers are feeling really sabotaged for losing the early-release planning time.”

Ward said teachers in middle and high schools likely voted against the contract because they believed they should get more than a 1.6% raise over the step increase: “I’m hearing from teachers that 1.6% is not acceptable.”

  • ACPS teachers deserve better, and are finally standing up for themselves. The district puts on a great dog and pony show, but they do not value their teachers or ESPs. And, despite their futile attempts to prove otherwise, they don’t care about the students either.

    • I agree. I retired from another rural county after teaching overseas & in Jacksonville public schools. I am astonished at ACPS. I expected so much more. My two adult children have UF Masters in Education & I can’t believe this county!

  • Changing the early release Wednesday to once a month was stupid from the start. First can be confusing and throws weekly schedules off. Second the ACSB was only willing to increase pay minimally (while paying a temp SI astronomical figures with way to much administrative staff sucking the budget dry). Removing those early Wednesdays in effect takes away the planning time for the teachers, shifting that time over to their own personal time. In effect not giving them a raise at all. I understand the middle and high school teachers don’t have that luxury but the kids in middle and high school are (or should be) far more self sufficient allowing for that time for teachers to occur more during the school day with less impact to their personal time. I have never seen a school board more of a disaster than ACSB. They are more focused on social/political issues than they ever will be the kids or the teachers we all depend on. It is shocking that people keep voting the same things (mind sets) into office while watching the decline

  • Good for the teachers for standing up to ACPS. But, Carmen Ward (Union Head) shouldn’t go unscathed through all of this, either. Under her guidance the Union almost was de-certified until she discounted the fee for new members (by using the fees of full paying members). She misled teachers into believing a ‘no’ vote meant elementary would get early-release back immediately. Now she gets to go home with her $155,000 salary and our interim (Essentially Lame Duck) superintendent gets to collect $22,000 per month for an extra year. Put your kids in private schools and start voting No on additional school taxes for these FRAUDS!

        • D’oh! I must have smelled a far too common scent. I will stick to cleaning. If you want a clean that is far better than my spelling, might I recommend the Mr. Clean Magic Eraser. 10/10!

  • Numbers to think about…2.6% for teachers vs 20% for the superintendent.

    Where’s the equity? I guess it’s only applicable when it fits THEIR agenda. Maybe the Union should hire the past 3 superintendent’s negotiators.

    I know Florida is a “Right to Work” state, but the employees have a right to fair wages as well. If I were the Union President I would see how many employees have had their flu vaccines.

  • ACPS desperately needs NEW leadership. The current leadership has proven repeatedly they are incompetent. Although hiring and raises would be temporarily “frozen,” The best scenario for the ACPS employees would be Tallahassee taking control until the proper leaders are in place. If the districts budget drops low enough, that is exactly what will happen.

  • It’s so frustrating. In the board meeting on Jan. 14th they talked about how the cost of the search company raised its prices just like everything else. But they don’t think teachers should get a raise? Social security gets a 3% raise! And they are offering 1.6% to teachers? To put this in perspective, my son’s daycare is $357 WEEKLY. They just sent out a notice that their yearly increase will take effect in February. It’s more than a 5% increase making it $380 weekly. That’s one aspect of a persons life increasing by 5%. That doesn’t include cost of food increase, gas, cost of living in general. But they are supposed to get a 1.6% raise? But they are willing to spend more than 90% of their teachers annual salary on a company to spend 3 months finding them candidates for new superintendent. It’s insane and teachers need to take a stand! The public has to back them up!

    • The search was *only* $30k in 2022. Now it’s around $50k. They’ll gladly pay that but screw over the teachers and support staff

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