Posted by Tanya Arja or Debra Bellanti on 6/27/2024 4:35:00 PM
For Immediate Release
Contact: Tanya Arja or Debra Bellanti
Hillsborough County Public Schools
Office of Communications
813-272-4060
Tampa, Fl. (June 27, 2024) – Hillsborough County Public Schools (HCPS) is excited to announce a tentative agreement has been reached with the Hillsborough School Employees Federation (HSEF).
The employees represented in HSEF include those in the areas of transportation, student nutrition services, security, maintenance, and custodial services.
“To finalize contract negotiations more than a month before the school year begins is a credit to the collaboration of our employee groups. Our dedicated employees are the heartbeat of our organization, and we want to ensure they are cared for each and every day. This agreement makes us stronger together,” said Superintendent Van Ayres.
Under this agreement, all eligible HSEF bargaining unit employees will receive a pay increase by moving at least one level on the newly agreed upon support salary schedule. All employees will also receive a one-time additional payment of at least $2,500, to be paid in two installments.
The bargaining teams worked to address a critical staffing challenge in our transportation department. Under the agreement, all bus drivers and bus rider attendants who have perfect attendance for the 2024-2025 school year will be eligible for a Perfect Attendance Incentive. These listed employees are eligible for a $500 payment for the first semester, and $500 for the second semester, if they are on time and work all scheduled days.
“One of our greatest challenges the past few years has been getting our children to school on time due to a bus driver shortage. We transport 78,000 students to school each day, more passengers than HART and the airport on a typical day. This incentive is a way for us to thank our bus drivers and bus rider attendants who are positively impacting the education of our students every single day,” said Superintendent Ayres.
Based on the district’s current budget, the bargaining team was able to offer these increases, both recurring and nonrecurring. This is a step forward; however, our district is still not able to provide higher salaries to employees compared with surrounding school districts.
“We are so proud of the work we accomplished today as it is the first time we have finalized a compensation agreement this early. It shows when you sit at the table and collaborate that we can come to an agreement for our employees. We represent a lot of employees in the HSEF bargaining unit and we are always looking out for their best interests,” said Iran Alicea, President of Hillsborough School Employees Federation.
Superintendent Van Ayres and School Board Members have been committed to settling employee contracts much earlier this year in an effort to retain our dedicated staff and recruit new top talent. The district values the dedication of our employees who have gone above and beyond to ensure the success of students.
It is important to note this tentative agreement was reached at the negotiating table and must still be ratified by the employees and approved by the Hillsborough County School Board.