Following over four hours of collective bargaining Tuesday night, the district’s teachers union, the Alachua County Education Association, and district personnel reached tentative agreements on this year’s employee contract.
After weeks of bargaining, the two parties agreed to raise educator pay by at least 4%, increase job security for annually contracted teachers and block a district push for increased instructional time.
During the meeting, the district and union debated teacher salaries. The district faced the challenge of balancing a decrease in the general fund budget, which is a portion of the district’s budget that pays for expenses like instructor salaries and benefits, with increasing pay for teachers, faculty and staff…