Union offers 3% economic counter; district cites $1.16M constraint, parties record several tentative non-economic agreements

Representatives of the Citrus County Classroom Educators (CCA) and Citrus County School District continued contract bargaining in a meeting where the union presented an economic counterproposal and the district raised questions about available funds.

The union proposed a 3% cost-of-living adjustment across bargaining units and reiterated that returning instructional staff with at least two years of full-time Florida teaching experience should receive a $443 TSIA payment retroactive to July 1, 2025. Union negotiators said they presented supporting material — including a regional consumer-price-index graph from Florida Gulf Coast University’s Regional Economic Research Institute showing a year-over-year increase of about 3.3% — to justify seeking a percentage increase rather than only flat-dollar adjustments.

Why it matters: Union negotiators said the percentage approach would continue to “decompress” salary schedules by preserving pay separation based on years of experience; the district said revenue limits and categorical-fund restrictions constrain what can be applied to salaries.

Details of the union’s package described in the meeting included:

- A general 3% cost-of-living adjustment for instructional, classified and professional-technical (ProTech) units, with unit-specific step treatments (e.g., steps 1–20 in classified receive 3% retroactive to July 1; certain top steps receive additional adjustments). - The board-provided TSIA amount: a $443 payment for returning instructional staff meeting the stated experience threshold, applied retroactively to July 1, 2025; the union asked that the board contribute whatever additional dollars are required so that total compensation equals a 3% increase. - A request to add one additional paid holiday (Martin Luther King Jr. Day) for nine-month/less-than-251-day classified/support employees who lack parity in paid holidays. - A proposed $20-per-month board contribution to employee health insurance beginning in December, cited in the union’s costing as raising the district contribution to $626 per month for CCA unit employees.

District response and budget constraints: District staff told negotiators that a previously cited “available” economic amount is roughly $1.16 million. District staff also walked through budget documents that show multi‑year CAPE (Career and Professional Education/workforce-development) allocations in the millions of dollars but emphasized that CAPE funds are categorical and cannot be used to pay teachers’ salaries; CAPE can pay for equipment, curriculum, conferences, subs for field trips and extra-duty program costs but not regular instructional salaries. District staff cited CAPE totals in the discussion (figures referenced during the meeting included roughly $3.3 million and multi‑year totals shown in the documents), and said unexpended categorical dollars roll forward but remain restricted to their designated program uses.

Costing examples and enrollment sensitivity: The union presented illustrative calculations (an average instructional salary figure of $56,429 was used in examples) showing how TSIA plus a 3% adjustment and rising employee-only health premiums would affect take-home pay. The parties also confirmed that the number of CCA employees enrolled in district health plans affects board-match cost estimates; the meeting flagged 1,130 employees as the September enrollment figure but participants noted that number can change with new hires, which in turn changes the district’s liability for any per-employee board match.

Non-economic items and tentative agreements: The union pressed several non-budget items — a voluntary sick-leave donation program, stronger protections for protected planning time, explicit teacher/support authority on student-discipline removal, and guaranteed association presence at new-hire/new-teacher events — and asked the district to consider these low-cost or no-cost changes. During the session the parties recorded tentative agreements (TA #1 through TA #8) covering various contract cleanup items: preambles and article 1 (instructional and support), recognition/article 2 updates, articles 3–5 consolidations, and grievance-procedure renumbering; the TAs were marked for signatures and to be posted for member review.

What’s next: Bargainers agreed to caucus and exchange revised economic proposals. The union said it would return with a counter that preserves its priorities; the district noted the previously stated $1.16 million constraint. The parties set a follow-up meeting on the twentieth to continue negotiations.