On Oct. 8, several key collective bargaining agreements were solidified between the Broward County School Board and the Broward Teachers Union Educational and Technical Support Specialists, as well as the Federation of Public Employees. These agreements include schedule changes and salary increases, both of which were included in the contracts approved by the School Board on Oct. 8.

“I want to express my sincere gratitude to everyone involved in the negotiation process, our School Board members for their support and, most importantly, our employees for their hard work and commitment to our school district,” Broward County Public Schools Superintendent Howard Hepburn said following the approval of the contract agreements.

ESPs are considered school support staff and include those working in custodial, security and clerical services. TSPs are individuals employed at BCPS who deal with any problems related to technology systems. FOPE is an organization that represents over 15,000 public sector employees in Florida.

Both ESPs and TSPs will receive a 2.5% raise in their salaries, retroactive to July 1, 2023. This means that their salaries from July 1 onwards will be adjusted so that they are compensated according to the raise. The same raise is also applicable to FOPE members.

Additionally agreed to was an extended work year for ESPs, who will be returning to work one day earlier, effective beginning with 2025-2026 school year. In other words, ESPs will be working for 189 calendar days instead of 188.

These agreements mark progress in the relationship between the School Board, BTU and FOPE.