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Pinellas board approves teacher, support-staff and SEIU contracts, citing referendum funds
Summary
The Pinellas County School Board on Oct. 14 approved tentative agreements with the Pinellas Classroom Teachers Association and SEIU and a salary increase for nonrepresented support staff, with retroactive pay and two nonrecurring bonus payments tied to a recent referendum; votes were unanimous.
The Pinellas County School Board voted unanimously on Oct. 14 to approve a suite of labor agreements that the district said are funded in part by a recent local referendum. Chief human resources officer Mister Vigu summarized terms for three agenda items that the board added to the meeting earlier in the day.
The board approved a tentative agreement with the Pinellas Classroom Teachers Association that, according to Vigu, includes a 1% operating-budget increase retroactive to July 1, 2025; two nonrecurring $300 payments for full-time bargaining-unit employees (scheduled for Dec. 12, 2025 and May 29, 2026); health-plan changes effective Jan. 1, 2026; and updates to more than 20 contract articles. The board approved the item by voice vote (motion: Mrs. Long; second: Miss Edmond). "A special thanks to union president Lee Bryant and his team for their productive collaboration during the process," Vigu said.
The board also approved a ratified agreement with the SEIU/Florida Public Services Union. Vigu said the SEIU agreement yields an average salary increase of 11.98% that is inclusive of the referendum, the MOU bonus and the 1% operating-budget increase retroactive to July 1; the MOU provides two nonrecurring payments totaling $300 ($150 on Dec. 19, 2025 and $150 on May 22, 2026). Vigu said the salary changes and health-plan adjustments will take effect Jan. 1, 2026, with pay realized in employees' Nov. 7 paychecks. The board approved the SEIU item by voice vote (motion: Miss Cain; second: Miss Edmond).
Separately, the board approved an average salary increase of 9.6% for nonrepresented support staff (principal secretaries, cafeteria managers and other supervisory support roles the district described as not in a union), including the same two nonrecurring payments totaling $300 and a 1% operating-budget increase retroactive to July 1; those pay increases were scheduled to appear in paychecks on Nov. 7. The motion passed unanimously (motion: Mrs. Kane; second: Miss Edmond).
Board members repeatedly thanked bargaining teams and voters who approved the local referendum that district leaders said made the increases possible. Lee Bryant, president of the Pinellas Classroom Teachers Association, told the board later in public comment that 65.1% of teachers who voted ratified the contract.
The board’s agenda also included an update on two remaining bargaining units: the Fraternal Order of Police (FOP) reportedly reached an agreement averaging a 7.43% increase and is expected to come to the board for approval after union ratification; PESPA (paraprofessionals, campus monitors, nurses and similar roles) requested open-book talks and was not scheduled to meet again until early November.
Outcome and next steps: All three agreement items on Oct. 14 passed by unanimous voice votes. District staff said implementation dates for health-plan changes and nonrecurring payments are included in the agreements and that retroactive payroll adjustments will appear on the district pay dates described at the meeting.
Actions taken: The board approved the tentative PCTA agreement, the SEIU agreement and a pay increase for nonrepresented support staff; each item passed by a recorded unanimous voice vote (7–0).
