Board eliminates three candidates, will interview remaining in January. ...more

December 8, 2009

It's now up to Hernando County School Board members to decide who will be interviewed for the superintendent position by selecting from a pool of nine candidates. ...more

December 6, 2009

Zimbabwe will not bow to pressure but will seek advice from other African leaders on how it should form a power-sharing government, the chief negotiator for President Robert Mugabe's party was quoted Sunday as saying. ...more

October 20, 2008

Contract talks between the Highlands County School District and the school support personnel union are scheduled to resume Tuesday after negotiations were suspended during the summer. ...more

September 22, 2008

SEBRING — Contract talks between the Highlands County School District and the school support personnel union have recessed until September when negotiators will have more information on which to base their salary talks. The state budget issues will be a little clearer in a few months, said Michel Bernier, chief negotiator for the support personnel union. Also, after school starts in August, the district will know how many support workers they'll need based on student enrollment. The state funds school districts a certain amount per student. More students bring in more state monies to school districts. ...more

June 19, 2008

President Bush's chief negotiator on an economic aid deal said Sunday that the Senate should quickly get behind a plan or risk drawing the resentment of a frustrated public. ...more

January 28, 2008

SEBRING — An oversight by school district and support personnel negotiators will require another bargaining session to work out details on incentive pay. As the school board was about to approve the support union employment contract recently it was pointed out that a small portion of the contract was not in the agreement the employees ratified Dec. 2. The language concerned job incentive pay for employees with two- or four-year college degrees. "That poses for us a potential problem," said Sam Lee, negotiator for the school district. "It is my opinion that should the board adopt page 21 ... you in all probability will have committed an unfair labor practice," because it was not included in the contract ratified by the employees. ...more

December 16, 2007

SEBRING — It was a relatively close vote, but the school district's educational support workers approved their employment contract. "It really represents so little money to people who had so little that we are not surprised that there was a substantial 'no' vote," said Michael Bernier, the chief negotiator for the Highlands County Educational Support Personnel Association. Almost 200 people attended Sunday afternoon's update and vote on the contract at the Sebring High School Smith Center. "This is the first time I've ever brought a contract back that almost had 40 percent voting against it," Bernier said. "These things usually pass by 90 percent or more." The contract likely passed because it was just before the holidays and the district promised to provide the retroactive pay increase before the holidays. ...more

December 4, 2007

SEBRING — One school bus driver hopes the district's support workers vote down the tentative contract agreement Sunday so a better salary increase can be negotiated. According to the School Board of Highlands County, the tentative agreement reached Nov. 9 calls for an average salary increase of 4 percent and a total salary and benefit package increase of 5.86 percent. According to the tentative agreement, each pay step will increase by 2 percent. Each year everyone moves up a step, except the senior employees, who have reached the top pay step. About one-third of the 700 support staff are at the top of the salary schedule and will be getting a 2 percent raise. "When we vote on our contract, we are voting on a 2 percent increase — period," said Mary Hein, a bus driver. "We are not voting on 4 percent. It would be nice if they increased my step by 4 percent, but they are not." The substitute drivers would only get a 2 percent raise because their pay is solely based on hourly salary, she said. ...more

November 28, 2007

It all comes down to money. School district and county officials came closer to resolution Tuesday on how to ensure that Pasco County has enough schools for its growing population. The respective sides were, however, still at odds about which should pay for road improvements off school property. ...more

November 21, 2007