Parents, retirees and board members press district over teacher raises and insurance as negotiations continue

The Hernando County School Board heard multiple public appeals for higher teacher pay and clearer health-insurance terms during its Oct. 21 meeting, as the board and staff said bargaining over compensation remains under negotiation.

Parents, retired teachers and union supporters told the board they were disappointed the district nd the state—osts left classroom educators with what they described as effectively no raise. "My understanding, it's ... $470 for the whole year," said Kimberly Mulroney, a Brooksville parent, of the offer she described to the board. Other speakers warned that rising family insurance costs could erase any salary gains.

Why it matters: Teachers and school employees said increases in insurance contributions and slow salary growth threaten retention of experienced staff. Board members said some of the district—udgetary pressure stems from state-level changes to pension contributions and that bargaining details cannot be publicly discussed while negotiations are active.

Board context and budget note: Vice Chairperson Johnson told the room the district faces a squeeze from retirement contributions and flat or reduced state support. He described Hernando's payroll as about $200 million and said a 2.5 percentage-point increase in the district's contribution to the Florida Retirement System (FRS) added roughly $5 million in employer cost, while state aid increases amounted to about $1 million, leaving the district about $4 million less to spend this year than last. "We are $4,000,000 less this year in what we can spend than we were last year," Johnson said.

Public comment highlights: Resident Pamela Gabbin pointed at the mix of district and state money behind the current offer and stressed health insurance as a priority, saying parents and teachers need clarity on what rising premiums mean for household budgets. Retired teacher Susan Bridal described long hours worked by educators and urged the board to find "money to offer teachers a livable raise." Several commenters asked the board to consider reassessing district staffing and overhead to free more funds for classroom pay.

Process limits and next steps: The board confirmed it held an executive session on negotiations and repeatedly said it could not discuss details because bargaining is ongoing. Chairperson Rodriguez noted the legal restriction: "by law, we cannot comment in detail due to ongoing negotiations." Board members urged continued dialogue with bargaining representatives and thanked speakers for their input.

Audience note: Several speakers asked the board to reconsider benefit structures that make family coverage unaffordable for employees. The board said staff will continue to negotiate and will report outcomes when permitted to do so.