Volusia County Schools and Volusia United Educators Reach Agreement on Instructional and Support Contracts
In a significant development for the education sector in Volusia County, the district's instructional and support contracts have been finalized. The agreements, reached between Volusia County Schools and Volusia United Educators (VUE), will see substantial salary increases for teachers, as well as improved benefits for support personnel.
Instructional Contract
The instructional contract, which was settled on Friday, includes a range of significant benefits for teachers. According to the district's press release, these include:
- A monthly health insurance contribution increase from $565 to $605
- An increase in salary stipends by 3%
- A 3% increase to activity and advanced-degree supplements
- Increased retention supplements to address compression among veteran employees
The agreement has been welcomed by Superintendent Carmen Balgobin, who said in a statement that the district is 'proud to have finalized an agreement with VUE Instructional that reaffirms our support for our teachers – the backbone of our district and the key to our students' success'
Support Contract
The support contract includes several key agreements, including:
- A health insurance contribution increase from $565 per month to $605
- Salary packages will increase, with a step on the salary schedule
- Translation supplements will increase from $100 to $500
- Pay for speech paraprofessionals will increase by $0.50 per hour
Ratification of the instructional and support contracts is scheduled to occur the week of September 16, after which the agreement will be put before the Volusia County School Board for approval at its meeting on September 24.
Additional Salary Adjustments
In addition to the finalized agreements, the board also approved a 3% salary increase for school-based administrators. This decision was made during last week's board meeting, where members expressed their appreciation for the district bargaining team and VUE Support bargaining team.
Stephanie Workman, the district's executive director of human resources payroll and employee benefits, confirmed that both school-based administrators and employees at level 10 and above will see their increases beginning with their September 30 paychecks. They will also receive retroactive pay on October 15.
The decisions come after the board's July 30 decision to provide district-based employees at Level 9 and below with a 3% raise in the 2024-25 school year.