Polk County Public Schools (PCPS) and the American Federation of State, County & Municipal Employees (AFSCME) Local 2227 union reached a tentative agreement on Dec. 14 for the 2023-2024 salary and benefits package totaling an increase of $4 million.

AFSCME represents approximately 2,300 PCPS employees, including bus drivers, custodians, school nutrition workers, maintenance, and trade positions.

The tentative agreement directs $1.5 million specifically for salary increases, and an additional $2.5 million toward health insurance.

PCPS absorbed all health insurance increases into its budget, offering yet another year of $0 health insurance premiums for all employees. The district continues to be one of the few employers in the region offering $0 health insurance premiums and free access to employee health clinics.

Employees represented by AFSCME must now vote upon whether to accept this salary package, including specific salary schedules.  AFSCME will hold its contract ratification vote on Saturday, Jan. 13, 2024.

Upon ratification, the new contract will then be presented at the next Polk County School Board work session and then submitted for approval at a School Board meeting. At that time, the timeline of when employees will see their new salary rates and a lump sum retro payment for hours worked since the beginning of the fiscal year July 1, 2023, will be announced.

Non-union staff — those in administration and others that work at the district level — will soon receive specific details of their salary increase package.  Approximately 1,200 employees that fall into this classification will see an enhancement of $2.1 million for salaries and benefits.

PCPS and the Polk Education Association (PEA), which represents almost 9,000 teachers, paraeducators, and educational support personnel, reached agreement in October 2023.

It should be noted that both union and non-union employees will see a proportionate share of the total $32.5 million increase in salaries and benefits for this school year. Superintendent Fred Heid made this practice a priority when he arrived at PCPS more than two years ago.

The overall package is nearly a 3.4% increase in salaries across all employee groups.

“I would like to thank the members of the union and district negotiating teams for all of their hard work,” said Heid. “These negotiating teams have been meeting since the spring to address the priorities of competitive salaries and dealing with the effects of compressed salaries.”

In recent years, Florida instituted a minimum salary of $47, 500 for certified teachers, and a minimum wage of $15 for all employees of public school districts. Compression occurred across the state as school districts did not receive enough new state funding to move all employees proportionately.

“I am excited to be able to again raise salaries for our vitally important employees,” Heid said. “For well over 50% of our students, bus drivers will be the first and last school employee they see each day. Our maintenance and facilities staff work extremely hard to maintain our schools, providing a safe and comfortable learning environment, and our school nutrition employees do a fantastic job keeping our students well-fed.”

The starting salary for bus drivers under the new PCPS contract will increase from $16.25 to $18.00 per hour, up from $13.40 just three years ago. Custodians will see their starting salary increase to $15.15 per hour, up from $9.80 three years ago. Groundskeepers will now start at $15.45 per hour, up from $10.02 in 2021. All employees in this group will soon be sent specific details of their salary changes.