SRC teacher raises possible
BY PAM BRANNON Gulf Breeze News news@gulfbreezenews.com

The Santa Rosa County School District's union bargaining team is going back to the negotiation table this week with the teacher's union. School District Superintendent John Rogers said he is optimistic that some kind of teacher raise would be possible this time around.

"We have not been at the bargaining table for about a month to six weeks. We have been holding off because of all the state special sessions to see what the state was going to do to us financially and if there would be any additional cuts to this budget," Rogers explained. "But as of right now, it looks like there won't be any more special sessions on this budget so we can move ahead and restart negotiations."

He said he is hopeful that the two sides can complete a contract this week.

"Our teachers deserve everything we can possibly give them, as does all our staff. I think it is definitely possible that we could come up with a raise this time around for the teachers. Once both sides see what is available and where we are headed with cutbacks to the budget by the state, I am confident that they will come to some good agreements that work for everyone involved," Rogers said.

Teacher Martha Mason read a letter to the school board last week that was signed by 140 teachers district wide. Mason, who has been a teacher in the school district for 36 years, said most teachers could not be at the meeting because it was during school hours. The letter asked the school board to look at their fund balance for money to give teachers raises.

Mason read, "Our students' test scores rank in the top five in Florida, and we continue to rank number one in reading. Even after the nice raise you gave us last year, the average teacher salary in Santa Rosa County ranks 29th of Florida's 67 counties. What happened to the goal of getting our salary schedule into the top 10 in Florida?"

Superintendent of School John Rogers pointed out that the school district is funded by the state at number 66 of 67 counties, set by state formula. He said, "Since we are number 29 in teacher salaries, yet number 66 in funding, I think that alone shows where this school board's priority is in the budgeting process."

School board attorney Paul Green said Rogers and school board members could not respond with too many comments to Mason's letter because they were in the middle of salary negotiations, and it would constitute unfair labor practices. But Superintendent Rogers did respond to some financial figures laid out in the letter, correcting some mistakes.

"Your figures on our fund balance are not correct. We do not have a $14 million fund balance, we have only a $10 million fund balance to work from," he explained. He said the fund balance was kept in place in case of emergencies, such as hurricane damage or state cutbacks.

The teacher's letter said the state has recommended that school districts keep a 4 to 5 percent fund balance, and Mason said this district's balance is more than that recommended range.