Negotiations

January 25, 2022

Voting will begin at 9:00 a.m. on Monday, January 31, 2022

and will end at 4:00 p.m. on Friday, February 4, 2022.

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The ratification votes will take place by electronic ballot.

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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 are posted below:
para_ratification_documents_2021-22.pdf
teacher_ratification_documents_2021-22.pdf

In addition, teachers and paraprofessionals were sent all of the tentative agreements on the respective contracts electronically.
 

If you have any questions, please contact MEA at 747-5091 or via email at association@manateeschools.net.

January 13, 2022

Tentative Agreements Reached

The bargaining teams of the Manatee Education Association and the District met to discuss para and teacher contracts on Wednesday, January 12, 2022.

After negotiating for several hours, the teams were able to reach tentative agreement on the teacher and para contracts.

Highlights of the Teacher Tentative Agreements are as follows:

 - Base salary increases to $47,500 (Grandfathered Schedule)/$47,500 (Performance Schedule) using the funds provided in the state Teacher Salary Increase Allocation

- Teachers on the Grandfathered schedule receive a 4 (four)-level increase; those on the Performance schedule who were rated highly effective receive 4 (four)-level increase and effective receive 3 (three)-level increase

- Master’s Degree supplement increases to $1200

- Longevity for teachers who completed 16 years ($2,100)/25 years ($3,600) in Manatee County last year

-  Supplemental/Differential pay will increase across the board by 10%

- Credit for teaching experience will increase from 8 years to 10 years

Highlights for 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

- $0.50 per hour increase applied to each step of the salary schedule

- Steps 1-5 on the Aides schedule will be increased to $13.45 per hour

Teachers and Paraprofessionals

All teachers and paraprofessionals who did not receive the $1,000 bonus from the Governor/Legislature will receive a $1,000 retention bonus.

For both contracts all current contract language including health insurance premiums continues until 2022-2023 negotiations.

All salary improvements are retroactive to July 1, 2021.

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.

December 2, 2021 - On Wednesday, December 1^st, the MEA and management bargaining teams met to continue negotiating for the 2021-2022 contracts for teachers and paraprofessionals. There have still been no agreements reached but significant progress was made towards agreement.

Management responded to MEA’s proposals on salary increases for teachers and paraprofessionals as well as proposals on payroll deductions for benefits, credit for experience on the teacher salary schedule and payment for no sub. Discussions continued about supplements, credit on the para salary schedule and paraprofessional positions that are difficult to fill.

bargaining_120121.pdf

November 18, 2021 - On the evening of November 17, 2021 MEA and management bargaining teams met.  There have been no agreements reached at this point. MEA responded to management’s proposals on payroll deductions for benefits and credit for experience on the teacher salary schedule.  MEA presented an opening proposal on salary increases for teachers and paraprofessionals. In addition, MEA presented a proposal for payment for when a substitute is not available. Discussions continued about credit on the para salary schedule and paraprofessional positions that are difficult to fill.

The next bargaining session will be held December 1, 2021.

bargaining_111721.pdf

November 2, 2021 - MEA and management bargaining teams met for the first bargaining session of the 2021-2022 school year on the evening of November 1, 2021. The scope of bargaining was discussed in that this is a full book. The District had issues that they wanted explored and are open for negotiations. Issues included a district budget update as reported to the school board, credit for experience on the teacher salary schedule, payroll deductions for benefits and paraprofessional issues related to positions difficult to fill in the para bargaining unit.

MEA requested additional data pertaining to all these issues.

Members of the MEA bargaining team include - Pat Barber (MEA), Linda Bryan-Beachler (Freedom), Kara Carney (Rogers Garden Bullock), Helen King (Bayshore Elementary), Brian Kirchberg (Braden River High), 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 December 1, 2021.

The minutes will be posted here on the MEA website once approved by both bargaining teams.

bargaining_110121.pdf

June 3, 2020 – The School District of Manatee County and the Manatee Education have signed  Memoranda of Understanding (MOUs) that will adjust how employees are paid beginning with the 2020-2021 school year.  Every employee will have to select how they will be paid by filling out the Pay Option Form below and returning it to HR no later than Thursday, June 25, 2020. 

Currently, employees are paid semi-monthly (on the 10^th and 25^th of the month) and earn 24 pay checks in a school year. 

Beginning with the 2020-2021 school year, employees will be paid bi-weekly (every other week).  Your annual salary remains the same in each option.  The options are as follows:

• 22 pay checks over the work year (August – June),
• 26 pay checks with pay over the summer
• 26 pay checks with 5 checks paid in a lump sum on the last pay check of the work year

Deductions for health insurance, life insurance, flexible benefits will be deducted equally among all checks depending on the option chosen, and MEA dues deductions will be deducted over 22 pay checks. 

The MOUs, pay options form and some examples of what these changes could look like for teacher and para pay checks are below.

Please make your selection using the pay option form and return to HR no later than June 25, 2020. If it is not returned, you will default into the 26 pay option.

Pay Options Form:   pay_option_form_2020_fillable.pdf

MOU Teacher Pay Options:  signedmouteacherpayoptions.pdf

MOU Paraprofessional Pay Options:   signedmouparapayoptions.pdf

Examples of Teacher Pay Options:   pay_options_teachers.pdf

Examples of Para Pay Options:   pay_options_paras.pdf

Voting will begin at 9:00 a.m. on Monday, December 2, 2019

and will end at 4:30 p.m. on Friday, December 6, 2019.

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The ratification votes will take place by electronic ballot.

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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 on the MEA website, www.manateeea.org.

In addition, teachers and paraprofessionals were sent all of the tentative agreements on the respective contracts electronically. They are also posted below.
 

If you have any questions, please contact MEA at 747-5091 or via email at association@manateeschools.net.

final_teacher_tentative_agreements_20192020_110419.pdf

final_para_tentative_agreements_20192020_110419.pdf

November 5, 2019 - On Monday, November 4th the Manatee Education Association and the School District of Manatee County reached a tentative agreement on the terms for the 2019-2020 contract for teachers and paraprofessionals. The tentative agreements will be presented to teachers and paraprofessionals as well as the School Board for ratification before going into effect.

Highlights of the teachers’ tentative agreement include for the Performance schedule for all eligible teachers a 4 level advancement on the salary schedule for those who received a rating of Highly Effective. A 3 level advancement for those on the Performance schedule who received an Effective rating. Teachers on the Grandfathered schedule will also advance 4 levels on the schedule. There will also be a Cost Of Living Adjustment of $100 added to each level of the salary schedules for all teachers. Teachers who have completed 16 or 25 years with the district will receive a longevity supplement.

The highlights for the paraprofessional agreement include a movement of 2 steps on the salary schedule for all eligible paraprofessionals. Those paras who have reached the top of the salary schedule will receive a percent equal to 2 steps.

Both agreements include no increase in cost of the health insurance premium or changes to the benefits.

MEA President Pat Barber said “Reaching this agreement was made more difficult due to the challenges presented by the decades of poor funding provided by the FL Legislature and the manner in which the funding has been allocated. The theme has been doing more with less for a very long time and this agreement reflects that. We came to an agreement that maximized the dollars available.”

The teams worked to come to agreement exchanging proposals during three extended bargaining sessions.

 “The tentative agreement reached Monday represents another significant step forward for our teachers and paraprofessionals in terms of having highly competitive compensation compared to their peers around the state,” said Superintendent Cynthia Saunders. “I want to thank the bargaining teams that made this tentative agreement possible, and I am extremely proud of the hard work being done by our teachers and paraprofessionals in our classrooms each and every school day.”

bargaining_110419.pdf

October 24, 2019 - The MEA and management bargaining teams met on a second session on Wednesday, October 23, 2019. 

Management countered MEA’s proposal by offering teachers 3 level movements for teachers rated highly effective and 2 levels for effective as well as a $300 COLA.  Their proposal for paras was 2 steps. 

MEA provided a proposal after considering management’s counter proposal which included 4 levels for teachers rated highly effective and 3 levels for teachers rated effective plus a $400 COLA.  MEA’s proposal for paras was 2 steps and a $0.15 per hour increase on the salary schedule. 

MEA and management are working toward scheduling a future bargaining date. 

bargaining_102319.pdf

October 3, 2019 - The MEA and management bargaining teams met for an initial bargaining session on Thursday, October 3, 2019. 

After management presented information related to the district’s budget MEA spokesperson Bruce Proud asked questions related to the money received from the Legislature for this year’s budget including separating what money is available in the general fund versus what funding is categorical and mandated by law for specific purposes.

Management proposed a salary increase for teachers of three (3) levels for those who received a highly effective rating, two (2) levels for those who received an effective rating on the performance schedule and three (3) levels for teachers on the grandfathered schedule. Management proposed one (1) step increase for paraprofessionals. 

MEA proposed a salary increase for all eligible teachers of six (6) levels for those who received a highly effective rating, four (4) levels for those who received an effective rating on the performance schedule, six (6) levels for teachers on the grandfathered schedule and a cost of living adjustment (COLA) of $500 for all instructional bargaining unit employees. MEA proposed a three (3) step increase for all eligible paraprofessionals and a COLA of $250 for all paraprofessional bargaining unit employees.

The following are the bargaining team members:

For MEA - Bruce Proud, Pat Barber, Dawn Walker, Cory Bernaert (Freedom), Linda Bryan-Beachler (Freedom), Kara Carney (Rogers Garden Bullock), Helen King (Bayshore Elementary), Brian Kirchberg (Braden River HS), Melanie Newhall (Kinnan), and Rena Morano (Palmetto HS). 

For Management – Bill Vogel, Kate Barlaug (Haile), Willie Clark (SSC), Jacob Davis (SSC), James Horner (Abel), Heather Jenkins (SSC), John Reichert (SSC), Lesli Strickland (SSC), Tammy Taylor (SSC), David Underhill (Manatee HS), Doug Wagner (SSC) and Genelle Zoratti-Yost (SSC).

Bargaining is tentatively scheduled to resume on Wednesday, October 23, 2019.

bargaining_100319.pdf

August 21, 2015 - The MEA and the School District of Manatee County have signed a Perfect Attendance Incentive Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) regarding the use of Sick/Personal Leave days for the 2015-2016 school year only.  The effective date of this MOU is Monday, August 24, 2015.  In addition, the MOU for the Modified Instructional Week has been extended.  Please read the MOUs carefully.

Negotiations for 2015-2016 which include salary and benefits will begin soon.