Pasco noninstructional school employee union agrees to raise package

The employee union that represents Pasco County bus drivers, classroom aides and other support staff on Thursday reached a contract agreement with the school district on a raise package similar to the one that teachers won a day earlier.

The plan increases all base salaries by 1.25%, with another 2.25% boost for workers who completed a full year of employment with the district last school year.

It also raises the amount workers receive from the district’s local-option property tax referendum revenue by about 1.9% — between 30 cents and 69 cents per hour, depending on years of service.

Workers in hard-to-fill positions, such as relief bus drivers, air conditioning specialists and maintenance technicians, also would receive between 40 cents and $2.25 per hour more from the referendum.

Combined, the increase is about 5.4%.

As with the teachers, the deal covers the rise in required state retirement contributions and continues to provide a free employee health insurance option.

“We’re pleased that we were able to do as much as we were able to do, especially in light of the needs for our insurance plans,” said district employee relations director Kathy Scalise. “There were a lot of extra costs to be considered.”

While it might look like the district had more money that could be available for raises, Scalise said, much of that money is tied to other spending requirements. For instance, the state increased its base-student allocation in part by eliminating “categorical” fund areas such as instructional materials and classroom supplies, but it did not eliminate the mandate to continue paying for those items.

The agreement still must be ratified by the employees and the school board.