Volusia County public school teachers are protesting working conditions- by ‘working to contract’.
That means teachers are punching out of school when the bell rings rather than staying behind for extra, unpaid activities.
Last week Volusia Teachers Organization- which represents most of the county’s public school teachers- rejected a school board proposal that included a $1,500 pay raise for beginning teachers.
Union president Andrew Spar said the pay increases didn’t go far enough for beginning teachers or senior staff, but it’s not just about pay.
He said teachers also want clean classrooms, adequate resources, and enough time to prepare lessons.
“And so we are saying that we are only going to work what we are paid to work," said Spar.
"We’re not going to donate hours, we’re not going to, you know, donate all the free time that we do on a regular basis, we’re just going to work what we’re contractually obligated to work.”
The school district said it would also absorb a $2.9 million increase in health insurance costs for teachers.
School board vice chair Ida Wright said she’ll meet with teachers next Monday:
“Not district staff, not union staff, for teachers so that I can understand some of their concerns," said Wright.
"Many of them are not monetary: some of them are as simple as school supplies. I want to get a better feel of what is it that teachers are looking for.”
Wright said the school district and the union are working to find some middle ground.