News

Calling All Potential Leaders!

CCEA is now accepting self-nominations for the following leadership opportunities in our professional association:

• Secretary (1 year term)
• Middle School Director (1 year term)
• Elementary Director II (1 year term)
• Alt Schools Director (2 year term)
• Worksite Leaders (1 year term for all worksites)
• Local Delegate to FEA Delegate Assembly (Oct)
• Local Delegate to NEA Representative Assembly (July)
• State Delegate to NEA Representative Assembly (July)

Directions for submitting nominations:

1. Open, edit and save the self-nomination form (must use Edge or Chrome to utilize editable form)

2. Return the completed form to the HCTA Elections Committee Chair via email (heinzmanl@citrusschools.org)

If you are unable to open the form and edit it in either Edge or Chrome, please print a copy, print legibly and then scan or return a clear picture of the completed nomination form to heinzmanl@citrusschools.org.

All nominations must be received by no later than 5:00pm on Friday, February 23rd. Please be sure to check your personal email for confirmation of receipt of your nomination.

Inverness, FL (July 8, 2023) --The elimination of payroll dues deductions for most public sector unions in Florida went into effect on July 1st when provisions of SB 256 became law. Like so many of our union colleagues around the state, CCEA members are declaring 'I'm sticking with my union' by making the move to eDues, CCEA's preferred method of dues payment. Prior to the end of the 2022-23 school year, the majority of CCEA members had already made the switch, and throughout the summer we're organizing to bring the rest on board!

 eDues is safe and secure.  Utilizing Plaid (an industry

Negotiations for the 2021-22 contract year have been extremely productive and we will be moving tentative agreements to a ratification vote in the month of November. Every instructional staff member and every classified and professional technical support employee will be able to weigh in on the proposed changes and improvements to the contract, so take a moment to review the Tentative Agreements carefully...

Click here to review this year's tentative agreements!

Your working conditions ARE student learning conditions. That's #WhyWeUnion

Click here to join CCEA and help us advocate for our students, our schools, and our profession! 

Join CCEA during our Fall Membership Campaign and you'll receive a $50 new member rebate!

Throughout CCEA's Labor History Week (8/30-9/5), we posted a daily trivia question. Each correct answer was an entry into our Labor Day Prize Giveaway raffle. Prize winners are: Donald Whitaker, Brian Sullivan, and Jennifer Clark!  E-gift cards are on their way!!!

CCEA's Labor History Trivia Challenge ANSWERS:

As you know, the state budget that was recently passed includes an allocation of around $215 million, to provide full-time classroom teachers and principals with a $1,000 bonus, using funds from the American Relief Plan.

More recently, as details regarding the distribution of bonuses began to emerge, larger questions loom regarding whether the bonuses - now identified as 'relief payments' - will be paid.

For too many of our colleagues, a ‘thanks for a job well-done’ bonus after the stress and uncertainty of working through the pandemic may not materialize at all. As was true with Best and Brightest bonuses, the non-classroom teachers (school counselors, psychologists, media specialists, etc.) and our essential support staff will not qualify for these bonuses from the state.

CCEA brought the topic of bonuses to the bargaining table in April hoping to secure an early commitment from the District to provide matching bonuses for instructional and support personnel left out of the state bonus. We know that every employee working in Citrus schools through the past year helped to ensure our students were safe and that learning continued. It is our position that as federal COVID relief funds make their way into the District, nonrecurring dollars will be available to cover the cost of one-time bonuses. We await a response from the District.

Beyond knowing who will be receiving bonuses and when, we know that you have questions about these bonuses. It remains unclear whether bonuses will be paid to individuals who retired or separated from employment during or after the 2020-21 school year. It is also not yet known whether bonus checks will be issued directly from the state, or if the District will be tasked with distribution of funds. What we know is true of bonuses (generally speaking):

• Bonuses are taxable at a higher rate than regular income.
• The recipient will be responsible for taxes on the bonus.
• Bonuses do NOT count toward retirement under FRS. 

We encourage you to follow the progress of negotiations online and look for additional updates from CCEA in the weeks ahead.

RESOURCES:

CCEA and District bargaining sessions are livestreamed through the Citrus Schools’ YouTube channel and recordings of all prior sessions are accessible for review.

FEA has added a list of FAQs on their website. The page will be updated as more information is made available.

Education staff professionals –identified as Classified and Professional Technical Support in Citrus County-- are valued and critical members of every public school community.

They meet the needs of the whole student, promoting quality education and fostering positive learning environments.

Education staff professionals ensure students achieve at their highest levels. They keep students emotionally and physically healthy and safe. They engage students and keep them connected to the larger school community. They provide instruction and academic supports, challenging and motivating students by

As you know, the state budget that was recently passed includes an allocation of around $215 million, to provide full-time classroom teachers and principals with a $1,000 bonus, using funds from the American Relief Plan.

More recently, as details regarding the distribution of bonuses began to emerge, larger questions loom regarding whether the bonuses - now identified as 'relief payments' - will be paid.

For too many of our colleagues, a ‘thanks for a job well-done’ bonus after the stress and uncertainty of working through the pandemic may not materialize at all. As was true with Best and Brightest bonuses, the non-classroom teachers (school counselors, psychologists, media specialists, etc.) and our essential support staff will not qualify for these bonuses from the state.

CCEA brought the topic of bonuses to the bargaining table in April hoping to secure an early commitment from the District to provide matching bonuses for instructional and support personnel left out of the state bonus. We know that every employee working in Citrus schools through the past year helped to ensure our students were safe and that learning continued. It is our position that as federal COVID relief funds make their way into the District, nonrecurring dollars will be available to cover the cost of one-time bonuses. We await a response from the District.

Beyond knowing who will be receiving bonuses and when, we know that you have questions about these bonuses. It remains unclear whether bonuses will be paid to individuals who retired or separated from employment during or after the 2020-21 school year. It is also not yet known whether bonus checks will be issued directly from the state, or if the District will be tasked with distribution of funds. What we know is true of bonuses (generally speaking):

• Bonuses are taxable at a higher rate than regular income.
• The recipient will be responsible for taxes on the bonus.
• Bonuses do NOT count toward retirement under FRS. 

We encourage you to follow the progress of negotiations online and look for additional updates from CCEA in the weeks ahead.

RESOURCES:

CCEA and District bargaining sessions are livestreamed through the Citrus Schools’ YouTube channel and recordings of all prior sessions are accessible for review.

FEA has added a list of FAQs on their website. The page will be updated as more information is made available.

Following several weeks of ongoing bargaining discussion, CCEA and CCSD have reached a tentative agreement on the 2020-21 Economic package. The settlement utilizes the state’s Teacher Salary Allocation funds ($2.4million) along with additional Board funds to achieve a $46,000 minimum salary for all instructional staff, while ensuring that every instructional employee receives AT LEAST a $1,500 improvement. CCEA Support will receive .46/hour in addition to the annual step increase which has already been applied. All improvements will be retroactive to July 1st.

The volunteer members of CCEA’s

As is true of every year's bargaining efforts, CCEA is dedicated to ensuring all educators in Citrus Schools receive substantive and equitable pay raises. Each year seems to present a different set of challenges--performance pay requirements, Best & Brightest bonuses, etc--and this year is no exception.

The Teacher Salary Increase Allocation (TSA for short) is the latest iteration of legislatively mandated contraints on the bargaining of teacher salaries. The TSA funds are provided in the state budget for the purpose of increasing the minimum base salary for full-time classroom teachers as