Orange County Public Schools and the district’s teachers union have reached a tentative agreement for 4% raises, the district announced late Friday.
The agreement comes as OCPS shifted more than 100 teachers because of a sharp enrollment decline driven by an increase in private school voucher use. The raises, which surpass the previous year’s 2.25% increase, go to teachers who are rated “highly effective” — a rating about 90% of the district’s teachers achieve.
OCPS employs about 13,300 teachers and is among the county’s largest employers.
Clinton McCracken, president of the Orange County Classroom Teachers Association, wrote in a statement that the agreement reflected “meaningful progress in a difficult funding year.”
Because of enrollment loss, OCPS faces an almost $50 million budget shortfall.
“While there is still work ahead, this agreement is a step forward for educators in Orange County,” he wrote.
The agreement also includes a guaranteed 30-minute paid lunch break — an increase of five minutes — and protections for teachers when students misuse artificial intelligence platforms without their knowledge.
The agreement includes $2 million “to address pay compression for veteran teachers, and supplements for critical, hard-to-fill positions,” and a 12-month pay option for teachers.
Last year, OCPS and the union struggled to reach a salary agreement, which led to a 12-hour public impasse hearing. In the end, the district chose smaller raises advocated by Superintendent Maria Vazquez over a larger increase pushed by the union.
But this year, the two sides were able to reach an agreement without a lengthy public hearing.
