COMPLETE STORY: Union, School District Reach Agreement

SEBRING - After continuing to work under last year's contract since the start of the school year, the school district's support personnel will likely get their annual salary increase along with a retroactive raise before the holidays.

The Highlands County Educational Support Personnel Association and the School Board of Highlands County reached a tentative contract agreement late Monday afternoon.

The tentative agreement calls for an average salary increase of 4 percent and a total salary and benefit package increase of 5.86 percent.

The support personnel union typically starts its contract negotiations with the school district during the summer after the teachers union reaches a tentative agreement with the district. But this year it took a second mediation attempt on Oct. 10 for the teachers union and district to agree on a salary package.

Support personnel contract talks on Oct. 16 and a mediation session on Friday failed to produce a tentative agreement.

"In all my years here, and I've got over 30 years in, this is the latest it's ever been," Sebring Middle School food service worker Shirley Shields said Tuesday. "When I was on the bargaining team we always had it done right at the beginning of the school year. We did it [contract negotiations] all summer."

The Support Personnel Association represents food service and facilities workers, bus drivers, custodial, clerical and other non-teaching employees of the School Board of Highlands County.

District Assistant Superintendent of Business/Operations Mike Averyt said it's a three-year contract, but salaries are typically "reopened" each year. The salary package on the tentative agreement is for the 2007-08 school year.

The support personnel will vote on the contract around Dec. 2, he said. If approved, the school board would vote on it at its Dec. 11 board meeting.

"Hopefully they will get their retro amount prior to Christmas," Averyt said. "The retro amount from the beginning of the year until now, the difference in pay and increase would be on their Dec. 19 paycheck, if they ratify it and the board approves it."