You’re going to need a calculator for this. First, type in your typical direct deposit amount. Use an amount from earlier in the spring. May might have been a weird month because of some supplements. Second, multiply that number by 24. Third, take that product and divide by 26. You should notice a difference between the number you started with and the new number. The new number will be smaller. Here’s an example: Suppose your typical direct deposit is $1100. When you mul

This is tricky, I know. When we talk about salary, we are rightfully angry. The legislature created a fiscal crisis over a decade ago and we are still digging ourselves out. Veteran teachers are several thousands behind where they should be on annual salary. So, there's little that can be discussed with salary that could come across as good news. Yet, it is worth checking out to see how we are doing in Brevard, compared to other counties. After all, we have all been thr

At the July 27 Bargaining Session, the district offered teachers a Three Fourths of a percent raise. Yes, you read that right. That is less than one percent. The offer was preceded with a detailed presentation about district finances. The state increased our funding by less than one percent, and added a bit to required purchases. Obviously, we did not settle. We did respond with our own research into the spring payroll. We took last year’s settlement in which they alloc

Hi Everybody, We met today from 1 to 4 at ESF to continue work on the contract. Events were relatively peaceful until the end. First: money. Their offer was ridiculously low, which we knew was coming. They offered a Three Fourths of a percent raise. They knew we wouldn’t take it. No surprises from anyone. Before the offer they did an overview of district finances. Yes, the state funding is pitiful. The BFT countered with a presentation of saved money from last year, w