The Leon County Classroom Teachers Association(LCTA) and the Leon County School District are just days off of negotiation for the 2023-2024 school year which began 8 months ago. In just weeks, they will begin negotiations for the 2024-2025 school year.
The recently signed short-term agreement covers the 2023-2024 school year, meaning that teachers will receive retroactive pay checks covering the difference of their new compensation package which should have began in August 2023. Retroactive pay is also taxed at a higher rate than normal compensation, meaning the districts foot-dragging cost teachers not only availability of their pay, but even less of it to begin with.
“We will do everything within our power for the goal of the end of March,” said the district negotiator Leonard Dietzen just moments before inking the deal.
LCTA is using their Facebook page to count down to the district’s promised deadline for retroactive pay. The March 31st deadline is a focal point for the educators awaiting the district’s action.
Looking Forward to Next School Year
The LCTA has staked out their position early: future negotiations must conclude before the start of the school year to prevent the previous year’s delays in pay.
“We must send a message that we won’t go beyond the August deadline and be deprived of what we’re owed again,” the union said in a recent Facebook post.
The unity amongst teachers is evident, with teachers coming together in a show of solidarity that has been demonstrated in school board meetings. The LCTA is striving to elevate Leon County’s appeal for educators, countering its current position at 40th in the state for teacher pay, within a state that ranks 48th nationwide. Just this week, they announced a joint rally with the Tallahassee Professional Firefighters for March 5th.
As the LCTA pushes to have a signed agreement for the 2024-2025 school year prior to the school years start, their focus is not solely on financial outcomes but also on the broader implications for how the district values its educators.
As of February 21st, the district has thirty nine remaining days to honor their commitment to it’s teachers.
