September 1, 2022 - Please be advised, the outcome of the ratification votes on the tentative agreements by the bargaining units is as follows:
Paraprofessional Bargaining Unit: YES
Teacher Bargaining Unit: YES
The vote tallies are as follows:
Yes No
Paras 398 20
Teachers 1579 95
October 7, 2022 - Raises and retro will be paid
October 21, 2022 - EDEP retro will be paid
Notice
of
Teacher and Paraprofessional Ratification Voting
on
Tentative Agreements 2022-2023
Voting will begin at 9:00 a.m. on Monday, August 29, 2022
and will end at 4:00 p.m. on Thursday, September 1, 2022.
*****
The ratification votes will take place by electronic ballot.
*****
Voting instructions will be sent by email to each member of the teacher and paraprofessional bargaining units. The tentative agreements will be posted at your school and below.
teacher_ratification_packet_with_schedules_22-23_email.pdf
para_ratification_packet_with_schedules_22-23_email.pdf
If ratified,
- raises and retro will be paid on the October 7, 2022 check.
- EDEP retro will be paid on the October 21, 2022 check.
If you have any questions, please contact MEA at 747-5091 or via email at association@manateeschools.net.
Tentative Agreements Reached
The bargaining teams of the Manatee Education Association and the School District of Manatee County met to negotiate paraprofessional and teacher contracts on Thursday, August 11, 2022.
After negotiating for several hours, the teams were able to reach tentative agreements on the teacher and paraprofessional contracts.
Highlights of the Teacher Tentative Agreements are as follows:
-Base salary increases by 3 levels from $47, 500 to $48,436 (Grandfathered Schedule and Performance Schedules) using the funds provided in the state Teacher Salary Increase Allocation (TSIA) and the District budget
-Cost of Living Adjustment (COLA)* of $150 applied to each level of the salary schedules (*COLA as defined by Florida Statutes 1012.22)
-Teachers on the Grandfathered schedule receive a 4 (four)-level increase; those on the Performance schedule who were rated highly effective receive a 5 (five)-level increase and effective receive 4(four)-level increase
-Longevity will maintain current contract language
-Supplemental/Differential pay will increase across the board by 2% plus supplements added (all information will be included with ratification documents)
-Credit for prior teaching experience will increase from 10 years to 12 years (the process for receiving credit will be sent out once the contract is ratified)
-Masters Supplement increases $300 to $1,500
-Sub Coverage language-$20 per hour when teachers split classes or cover during their planning time; daily pay not to exceed the daily sub rate of $120
-Curriculum Pay (Pay for curriculum and special projects including staff development) increases to $20/hour and is retroactive to August 2, 2022
Highlights of the Paraprofessional Tentative Agreements are as follows:
-1 (One) step movement on the salary schedule for eligible paraprofessionals (those who worked 99 days or more last year)
-2% to paraprofessionals at the top of the schedule
-$1.00 per hour increase applied to each step of the salary schedule for all paraprofessionals
-The para base salary becomes $15.00 per hour
Teachers and Paraprofessionals
The Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) regarding the referendum supplement (the millage) for the 2022-2023 school year was signed. The referendum supplement for paras will be to $2,358 (an increase of $304), and for teachers the referendum supplement will be $6,591 (an increase of $1,181).
For both contracts all current contract language including health insurance premiums continues until 2023-2024 negotiations.
All salary improvements are retroactive to July 1, 2022.
Next Steps
Salary schedules, and other details including information regarding teacher and paraprofessional voting on ratification of the tentative agreements will be coming out soon.
Then, the School Board will place the agreements on their agenda for ratification.
Many thanks to the MEA and District bargaining teams for their hard work in reaching these tentative agreements on behalf of teachers and paraprofessionals.
Cynthia Saunders, Superintendent
Pat Barber, MEA President
August 5, 2022 - Once again, MEA and management bargaining teams met for a lengthy bargaining session on August 4, 2022.
Progress continues toward reaching agreement on paraprofessional compensation. Teacher compensation and the complications of complying with all aspects of the teacher pay formula required by new Florida Legislation continues to be a challenge in negotiations; however, progress towards an agreement is being made. Other topics that are still under discussion include sub coverage, supplements, voluntary transfers, pay for curriculum and special projects including staff development, longevity and benefit deductions.
We encourage teachers to read information posted regarding the Statutes governing teacher compensation in order to understand the restrictions placed on negotiating teacher pay in Florida.
The next meeting will be held on Thursday, August 11, 2022.
bargaining_080422.pdf
July 26, 2022 - MEA and management bargaining teams met for a lengthy bargaining session on July 25, 2022.
Management and MEA made progress toward reaching agreement on paraprofessional compensation. We are continuing to discuss all aspects of teacher compensation and complying with the teacher pay formulas required by the new Florida legislation. In addition, discussion continues regarding sub coverage, supplements, voluntary transfers, pay for curriculum and special projects including staff development, longevity and deductions.
The next meeting will be held on Thursday, August 4, 2022.
The minutes will be posted on the MEA website once approved by both bargaining teams.
bargaining_072522.pdf
June 30, 2022 - MEA and management bargaining teams met on June 29, 2022.
MEA provided initial salary proposals on teacher and para compensation and had discussion around the difficulty in structuring teacher pay within the parameters of current Florida statute. In addition, MEA proposed $15/hour minimum pay for paras as well as increasing compensation for paras paid above the minimum. There was discussion around substitute coverage, and management provided information regarding the issue.
The minutes will be posted on the MEA website once approved by both bargaining teams.
bargaining_062922.pdf
June 2, 2022 - MEA and management bargaining teams met for the first bargaining session of the 2022-2023 school year on June 1, 2022.
Management gave their annual budget presentation. In addition, the following issues were discussed: compensation for both teachers and paraprofessionals, substitute coverage and legislative changes and requirements including changes to employer contributions to the FRS investment plan. There were no proposals exchanged.
There was also a report on supplements including supplements in comparable districts, discussion of any duties that are not yet supplemented that may be needed and modifications of existing supplemental amounts.
Members of the MEA bargaining team include - Pat Barber (MEA), Cory Bernaert (Harvey), Kara Carney (Rogers Garden Bullock), Ben Geiger (Bayshore Elementary), Helen King (Bayshore Elementary), Brian Kirchberg (Braden River High), Rob Lyons (JDC), Melanie Newhall (Kinnan), Bruce Proud (Chief Negotiator), Marlyce Stringer (Tillman), Jon Syre (King), and Dawn Walker (MEA).
District bargaining team members include Tim Bargeron (SSC), Dan Evans (SSC), Wendy Mungillo (SSC), Bill Vogel (Chief Negotiator) and Doug Wagner (SSC).
The next bargaining session will be held June 29, 2022
The minutes will be posted on the MEA website once approved by both bargaining teams.
bargaining_060122.pdf
