Teachers, students and union press board as bargaining stalls over raises

Chair Rockwell and the Alachua County School Board heard sharp public appeals on teacher pay during the meeting, with union leaders and classroom teachers urging a larger settlement in ongoing bargaining with the district.

Carmen Ward, president of the Alachua County Education Association, told the board the union had “put a 3.5% proposal on the table” in response to what she described as a 1% offer from the district’s bargaining team. She said the union would continue to press for higher pay and urged union members to mobilize for local advocacy events.

The meeting included multiple public comments from teachers and students calling for higher pay. Oliver Flanagan, a 17-year-old student at Santa Fe High School, criticized the board and district negotiators for reducing an earlier offer, asked “where did the money go?” and warned that teacher departures would harm student success. Jade McKillop, a junior at Santa Fe High School, called for “a livable wage” so schools can attract and retain “quality teachers.”

Rebecca Reagan, an English teacher at Gainesville High School, told the board teachers were working unpaid hours to prepare students and to respond to changes in law-enforcement interaction guidance. She said staff needed clearer direction and more support rather than increased micromanagement.

Taylor Gilfillan, co-chair of the District Advisory Council and a former district employee, asked board members to apply “increased due diligence” to consent-agenda purchases as the district manages a constrained fund balance and the bargaining dispute plays out. Several speakers tied pay to broader budget choices and decisions the board made over the past two years.

The board did not take a new vote on bargaining at the meeting. Superintendent Patton and board members described budget constraints and cited state funding shortfalls tied to voucher programs and unexpected enrollment changes as factors limiting what the district can offer in recurring raises.

Why it matters: Teachers’ pay and retention are central to classroom continuity and student performance. The bargaining process will determine whether the district can keep existing staff and recruit new teachers, and it feeds into larger budget decisions the board must make.

Speakers

- Carmen Ward, President, Alachua County Education Association (union) - Crystal Tessman, Service Unit Director and Vice President of Instructional, ACEA/Alachua County Education Association (union) - Oliver Flanagan, Student, Santa Fe High School (student) - Jade McKillop, Student, Santa Fe High School (student) - Rebecca Reagan, Teacher, Gainesville High School (citizen/teacher) - Taylor Gilfillan, Co-chair, District Advisory Council; former district employee (citizen) - Gina Rivera, Teacher (citizen/teacher) - Chair Rockwell (board chair) - Superintendent Patton (superintendent) - Ms. Surdin (board member) - Mr. Vu (board member) - Dr. McNeely (board member)

Authorities

- Not applicable (no statute or ordinance cited by name during bargaining discussion).

Clarifying details

- Union proposal on the table: 3.5% (stated by Carmen Ward). - District counterproposal referenced by speakers: 1% (stated by Carmen Ward and others); an earlier district offer of 1.6% was referenced by a public commenter as having been lowered. - Teachers and students urged the board to explain specific budget tradeoffs that limit recurring raises.

Provenance

- {"block_id":"s597.89-e667.63","local_start":0,"local_end":162,"evidence_excerpt":"Good evening, Chair Rockwell, board members, superintendent, and staff. I'm Carmen Ward. I'm the president of Alachua County Education Association, And I wanna thank you for your service, and I am very pleased that we have this moment to talk about the State of the Union. Doctor Tessman and I were in Tallahassee last week... We did, put a 3.5% proposal on the table. The ACA did. That was a counter to a 1% proposal that the board brought to the table last time.","reason_code":"topicintro"}

- {"block_id":"s2829.56-e2884.12","local_start":0,"local_end":256,"evidence_excerpt":"Hey, my name is Oliver Flanagan. I'm a student at Santa Fe High School... That was all the money they had... But then we pushed it down to 1%. So my question is where did the money go? ... The more that these teachers' salaries drop and the less wages you give each year as inflation outpaces us, teachers are gonna leave.","reason_code":"topicfinish"}