The Hernando County School District (HCSD) ratified four agreements with the Hernando United School Workers (HUSW) union that will increase salaries and contributions to employee health insurance and provide an additional supplement to Maintenance Supervisors. All Board members approved the agreements on Nov. 14, 2023.
The total approximate cost of the salary and benefits increases is $384,483.17. Employee healthcare premiums will see an increase of $374,391.36. The estimated cost to the District is expected to be $758,874.53. The increases will be funded from the General Fund, Special Revenue, and the Food Service Fund.
The positions affected are non-instructional.
School Board Member Mark Johnson commented that he was “extremely disappointed” in the raises that non-instructional employees originally received, especially relative to the increases in health insurance premiums.
Johnson said, “The Board got together and got behind (the salary increases); we decided we would pick up and pay that so that the raises the employees receive are realized and kept in their pockets and not given back to the school district to pay for their healthcare benefits.”
Agreement 2 gives additional increases to employees who did not previously receive an increase above a Cost of Living Adjustment (COLA). The amounts of the increases will be based on an employee’s start date.
The third agreement pertains to the increase in the Board’s contribution towards employee health insurance premiums.
The final agreement increases an annual supplement for the Crew Chief position from $1,028.00 to $2,000.00. This supplement intends to compensate delegated maintenance employees who are responsible for supervising workers out in the field.
