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Teachers and staff fill Volusia boardroom to demand higher pay, better staffing and classroom safety
Summary
More than two dozen employees, substitutes and supporters used the board's public comment period at the Oct. 14 Volusia County School Board meeting to press for higher pay, relief from large class sizes and improved responses to classroom violence. Speakers described chronic vacancies, heavy workloads and incidents of student assaults on staff.
Dozens of teachers, school employees and community members addressed the Volusia County School Board on Oct. 14, sharply criticizing district pay offers and describing working conditions they said are undermining student learning and staff retention.
Speakers pressed the board for raises larger than a proposed 1.5% increase and urged more aggressive hiring to reduce chronic vacancies and oversized classes. Multiple classroom teachers described taking on second jobs, selling plasma to pay bills and working long unpaid hours to keep up with grading and documentation.
"We are not data points for your social media post," said Robert Sabatino, a classroom teacher who described caring for a sick parent while maintaining high test scores. "We will not just do better. We will demand better." Sabatino's remarks were one of several personal testimonies tying students' successes to teacher effort and asking the board to show that same commitment in pay.
Other speakers framed the dispute as a dignity issue. "Dignity begins with fair pay," said Valerie Jessup, listing custodians, bus drivers, cafeteria staff and teachers as the workforce that keeps the district running. "When you invest in our staff, you invest in our students."
Several teachers described untenable class loads and special-education scheduling that they said reduced access to licensed teachers for students with disabilities. One speaker said a classroom roster had reached 60 students in a period and multiple subjects were being taught simultaneously; another described five grade levels of ESE students placed together after a primary ESE unit was eliminated.
"Our students deserve more time under the instruction of licensed teachers," said Alexandra Hemme, an ESE paraprofessional. "It is an emergency that we hire more ESE teachers to give our students a fair shot."
Public-commenters also raised safety concerns. Donovan France and his wife, Amanda France, described a fourth-grade student who repeatedly assaulted Amanda in class; they asked the board to support the teacher's decision to refuse the student's reentry after multiple violent incidents. "No teacher in Volusia County or anywhere should ever be assaulted and then forced to face their attacker again," Donovan France said.
Board chair Jamie Haynes and board members acknowledged the testimony and thanked speakers for coming. Several board members said they felt the district should pursue solutions but noted that certain bargaining and operational matters are handled by bargaining teams or staff. Superintendent Dr. Carmen Balgobin said she had taken notes and would follow up on operational items raised during public comment.
Why it matters: Teachers and school employees are central to daily instruction and student supervision; sustained vacancies, large class sizes and unresolved safety incidents can affect instruction time, student supports and teacher retention. The board faces competing budget pressures, but public testimony underlines the scope of staff concern across job categories and school levels.
Ending: Speakers represented classroom teachers, paraprofessionals, counselors, substitutes, and parents. Several said they would continue to press the board through public meetings and the bargaining process until they see larger pay increases and more staffing support.
