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Hernando Today

School Workers Tentatively Settle On Contract

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By LINNEA BROWN, Hernando Today

Published: January 4, 2008

BROOKSVILLE - It may not be as high as last year, but it's better than the year before.

That's the word from the bargaining team for the Hernando United School Workers union, who tentatively settled on a new contract Dec. 20 with Hernando County School District officials that will award local bus drivers, cafeteria workers and custodians an average 5.5 percent raise, plus coverage of a 1 percent increase in health care premiums.

That means a total budget of $20,330,122, or estimated salary expenditures for approximately 1,200 bus drivers, custodians and secretaries, among other positions. With that figure, the average noninstructional school employee is expected to make $16,942 per year.

This is in addition to the board's budget of $75,981,205, or estimated salary expenditures for 1,837 teachers. The average teacher's salary is $41,362 per year.

The average 5.5 percent raise is actually a 35 cents hourly raise for all employees, in addition to automatic yearly "step" raises, based on seniority. Employees earn an extra 20 cents for each year of experience, with a 40 cents jump provided on the "golden" years of five, 10, 15 and 20.

After 20 years, employees get a raise of 75 cents per year, and all employees automatically earn an extra 45 cents if they have a 2- or 4-year college degree.

The teachers received more - an average 6.04 percent raise, plus the 1 percent health care increase - because they added an extra in-service workday to their contract. This was not an option for most noninstructional staff, such as bus drivers, many of whom only have work when children are present.

The umbrella of "noninstructional staff" encompasses 76 different positions and various hourly rates, including paraprofessionals, custodians, kitchen staff, nonconfidential secretaries and bus aides. Seniority ranges from beginning bus drivers who start at $10.55 an hour - averaging $15,614 a year for 185 days on an 8-hour route - to bus drivers who have been with the district for 20 years, making $15.15 per hour.

Last year, workers received a 7.75 percent average raise, with 4 percent average the year before and 5.5 percent average in 2004-05. The amount fluctuates because of funding received from the state and district operating expenses, such as the impact of opening a new school, said district finance director Deborah Bruggink.

"It's a balancing effort," she said. "Everything impacts what (the district) can do with raises, but we do what we think we can afford."

But offering more money isn't as easy as it may seem. The district obtains funding from the state using a complex formula that takes into account factors such as the estimated cost of living in the county.

By this formula, the "district cost differential," or price of living and working in the district, is lower than that of neighboring Pasco County. Therefore, Pasco generates more money from the state.

These figures originate each year in the Florida Price Level Index, prepared annually by state finance officials to distribute state funds equitably to local school districts. The index is computed from three-year average sample prices in five categories: Food, housing, apparel, transportation and a composite category of health, recreation and personal services.

While school districts have long argued that people do not necessarily shop in their counties of residence - meaning that cost differences do not reflect where people buy things - the formula remains the same.

Of 67 Florida counties, Hernando is ranked 62nd in amount given per full-time student.

The 5.5 percent raise must still go through the ratification process before being finalized. Workers are expected to vote on the raise Jan. 11 and 12, with board discussion slated for Jan. 15.

Jones said he's not sure how workers will feel about the proposed amount, but that the bargaining team believes they obtained the best raise they thought they could get this year.

"That's why we have the ratification vote," he said.

Officials have not yet determined when the other two groups of district employees - professional technical workers and administrators - will receive their pay raises.

Reporter Linnea Brown can be reached at 352-544-5289 or lbrown@hernandotoday.com.

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