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Hillsborough School Employees Strike Deal For 2% Raise

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By MARILYN BROWN

The Tampa Tribune

Published: September 13, 2008

TAMPA - School district officials and unions for teachers and blue-collar workers agreed to a 2 percent step pay increase Friday, retroactive to July 1.

The raise must be ratified by the Hillsborough Classroom Teachers Association and the Hillsborough School Employees Federation, then approved by the school board.

The agreements do not increase starting pay for any category of worker or those who are not eligible for step raises.

As part of the agreement with the teachers union, teachers and students will see six more early release school days this school year and one less student day in 2009-10. Those days are yet to be determined.

Union officials said they think members will be pleased with a raise because of the terrible budget year.

"A lot of employees expected nothing when other districts are laying off," said Luis Perez, president of the school employees federation, which represents 4,200 bus drivers, food service workers, custodial and maintenance, mechanics and security workers.

Yvonne Lyons, executive director of the teachers union, agreed. "We are pleased. I don't think they're really expecting this. They're going to be pleased with it."

As part of negotiations, the Hillsborough County School District would continue to pick up the cost of fingerprinting for employees.

The raises will cost about $16.1 million, said Gretchen Saunders, the district's chief business officer. The money will come from several sources, including lapsed time in hiring employees, phasing out an early retirement program, savings from property insurance and $5 million the district had put aside for offsetting potential effects of an amendment that has since been scratched from November's ballot.

Reporter Marilyn Brown can be reached at (813) 259-8069.

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