Volusia County, FL - The Volusia County United Educators' Union announced on Monday that the Volusia County School District has hired an outside attorney to handle negotiations between the district and the union, primarily regarding insurance costs and dental insurance benefits.
The current contract between the union and the school district is set to expire on June 30 of this year. If the two parties cannot come to an agreement by then, Volusia County United Educators, which represents teachers, clerical staff, and paraprofessionals in Volusia County Schools, says that teachers and staff could face steeper health insurance costs and could lose their dental insurance when they come back to school in August.
The union requested back in February to commence negotiations with the school district for the 2018-2021 contract. The school district offered to begin negotiations this summer, but the union says that it doesn't believe there will be enough time to wrap up negotiations before the contract expires. The union is asking teachers, staff, and the community to demand that the school board begin contract negotiations.
This call for negotiations comes as teachers in Oklahoma are beginning to strike this week. Teachers in West Virginia also recently went on strike for nine days to secure better working conditions and pay, Volusia County United Educators says.
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