Wielding signs such as, "Do you think we'll go away if you drag your feet?" "S.B.A.C.=School Board Always Cheating Teachers," and "Administrative Pay scales show who's in it for the $, Teacher's pay scales show who's in it for the kids," over 200 Alachua County Education Association members and supporters marched to the School Board meeting on Tuesday, October 3, to demand that the Board move on negotiating teacher pay scales fairly. The smallness of the raises are only one issue for the teachers union. The union criticized practices in which where long-time employees are not paid commensurate with their service and new hires are paid more than long time employees.
"The
hiring of new employees from outside the district at rates much higher than longtime employees with more experience must cease," said an ACEA Collective Bargaining update distributed at the rally. "It would only take $60,000 to $100,000 to come to agreement and the Board continues to hold out," the Bulletin states. The money is available and it is insulting to teachers and career service (employees) that our Board does not put them first like they pretend to do in public. This has gone on too long!"
About 200 teachers union members and supporters line University Avenue demanding that the Alachua County School Board treat them fairly in the contract which is currently being negotiated.
