ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. — Teachers with Orange County Public Schools and district officials were back at the negotiation table Wednesday over wage discussions.
The two sides have been going back and forth for weeks after teachers rejected the district's last offer over the summer.
The district's latest offer would ditch the bonus for higher pay raises, with $2,400 and $3,000 going to teachers depending on their ratings. The offer is about $800 to $1,000 more than the district's last proposal.
Teachers are essentially satisfied with the potential salary numbers, except the deal would last for two years when they wanted one year.
"I think it's encouraging that they got the message that we want a pay increase," said Wendy Dormal, of the Orange County Classroom Teachers Association. "We want a raise, not a bonus."
Officials with the district also said they would return to the bargaining table next year to discuss more pay if lawmakers increase funding by more than 2 percent.
OCPS Scott Howat said he believes the district listened when they asked for better pay.
"We had a lot of working condition proposals we really wanted to get pushed through that we haven't had answered or they rejected," said Howat.
The union wants more time to go over the offer and speak with other teachers.
The two sides could meet again as early as next week.