Bargaining Updates:
We ADVOCATE for a better life.
LCEA educators have secured $42.4 million in LCS educator compensation and more since 2020!
2025 Bargaining Wins & Highlights of the Agreement
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$3.3 million compensation package for LCS educators
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Salary increases and bonuses recognizing effective and highly effective educators
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Added an additional $400 each year for Annual Highly Effective Educators, $300 each year for Annual Effective, $320 each year for Professional Service (PSC) Highly Effective, $300 each year for Professional Service (PSC) Effective.
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Added an additional $800 for Annual and PSC Highly Effective Educators, additional $600 for Annual and PSC Effective
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Yearly compensation for ALL advanced degrees
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Expanded stipends and bereavement leave
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Guaranteed lunch and planning time for all instructional staff, including non-classroom educators
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Reduced duties outside contract hours
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Intervention time language strengthened
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Stronger protections for health insurance coverage
When you show up, we all win!
Thank you for showing up in person to support our efforts. Your voice has power and together we are powerful. There is more to accomplish. LCEA is a member-led organization. If you want to see more and be a part of transformational change, stand with LCEA so that you and your colleagues can have the contract you deserve. Learn more and get involved by exploring the information below.
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Watch LCS
Budget Message
What is next for compensation?
Watch School Board
Watch Bargaining
LCEA Wins
in the past 4 years
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More than $40 million secured in compensation for LCS educators
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More than 50% of contract changed & ratified each year and during contract year with 96% approval
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Teacher Advisory Committees so educators voices are included in decisions
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PD, mentoring, and support. LCEA members are more likely to remain in LCS than nonmembers
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Top Priorities from LCEA Member Survey Data:
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WORKLOAD: Over 89% of responses mention planning, intervention, and support issues
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COMPENSATION: Over 72% of responses mention salary and pay concerns
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SAFETY: Over 50% of responses mention student behavior, discipline, and safety
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Over 60% said retention and recruitment is the top issue on the LCS Strategic Plan
What is bargaining?
Every year, the LCEA Bargaining Team advocates for your rights by improving contract language, securing salary increases, and negotiating stipends and supplements. Temporary issues—such as COVID safety protocols or extra pay for extra classes—are handled through Memorandums of Understanding (MOUs). The entire LCEA/LCS Contract can be changed through bargaining every three years and every year salary plus two articles are negotiated.
When the Team and LCS reach an agreement, it becomes a Tentative Agreement (TA). All instructional personnel in the bargaining unit vote to approve or reject it. The TAs are adopted once 50% + 1 of the unit votes "yes." The adopted TAs are then added to the LCEA/LCS Contract.
We’re always looking for members interested in helping craft contract language or supporting the bargaining process through our bargaining commitee. Click “Join the Committee” to get involved.
Who is involved in the bargaining process?
Over 20 bargaining committee members, FEA bargaining specialist, FEA organizing specialists and other member activists are involved in our local bargaining. All instructional staff can share input through town halls, surveys, worksite visits, one‑on‑one conversations, emails, texts, and calls. We also organize around our priorities, including speaking at school board meetings.
Bargaining proposals are developed and agreed upon collectively by the member-led committee. We welcome any LCEA educator interested in helping write contract language or supporting the bargaining process—click “Join the Bargaining Committee” to get involved.
Collective bargaining sessions between the district and LCEA are open to the public, and community members are encouraged to attend and advocate for a fair contract. LCEA members may attend committee meetings, trainings, and caucuses. All instructional staff in the bargaining unit—regardless of membership—vote on tentative agreements and contract ratification.
What can we bargain?
Mandatory bargaining subjects—set by law and the NLRB—include wages, overtime, bonuses, grievance procedures, safety, work practices, seniority, and processes for discipline, layoff, recall, or discharge. While we can’t bargain away policies mandated by law, we can advocate and organize against them.
For example, Florida’s 2020 and 2021 laws on Teacher Salary Increase Allocation (TSIA) required districts to use 80% of funds to raise classroom teacher base pay and 20% for all other instructional staff. Districts below a $47,500 minimum had to give a base‑pay increase at least 150% larger than the biggest raise on the grandfathered schedule. These rules can’t be bargained, but we can push the district to use its own funds to improve salaries—which our Bargaining Committee did for 2021–2022.
Click below for more information on Florida salary laws.
What can we bargain for?
We cannot bargain away any bad policy that is mandated in law, but we can advocate & organize against it.
Mandatory bargaining subjects—set by law and the NLRB—include wages, overtime, bonuses, grievance procedures, safety, work practices, seniority, and processes for discipline, layoff, recall, or discharge. While we can’t bargain away policies mandated by law, we can advocate and organize against them.
For example, Florida’s 2020 and 2021 laws on Teacher Salary Increase Allocation (TSIA) required districts to use 80% of funds to raise classroom teacher base pay and 20% for all other instructional staff. Districts below a $47,500 minimum had to give a base‑pay increase at least 150% larger than the biggest raise on the grandfathered schedule. These rules can’t be bargained, but we can push the district to use its own funds to improve salaries—which our Bargaining Committee did for 2021–2022.
Click below for more information on Florida salary laws.
2025 - 2026 Tentative Agreements (TAs)
When the LCEA Bargaining Team and LCS reach an agreement, it becomes a Tentative Agreement (TA). All instructional personnel in the bargaining unit vote during ratification to approve or reject the TA. The TAs are adopted once 50% + 1 of the unit votes "yes." The adopted TAs are then added to the LCEA/LCS Contract.
Recognition
Grievance Procedure
Professional Compensation
Compensation
Differential Pay Schedule and Additional Supplements
Additional Class Period/ Students
Night School
Title I and Critical Shortage
Involuntary Transfer Bonus
Association and Instructional Employee Rights
Teaching Conditions
Transfers, Reductions in Force and Vacancies
Placement Schedules and Advance Degree Differential
Summer School
City of Eustis After School Tutoring
Masters Educational Leadership
School Peer mentoring
Complimentary Childcare
Employee Discipline
Workday and Related Matters
Leave of Absence
Athletic Differential Pay Schedule
Additional Support
Insurance
Lincoln Park
Transfer of Sick Leave
View the full contract with all the TAs for 2025 - 2026.