By GARETT VALCOURT
Holmes County School District officially concluded its bargaining session for the 2024-2025 academic year on March 6 at 5:30 PM. Throughout the negotiations, the Holmes County Teachers Association (HCTA) presented two structured proposals seeking additional salary increases for educators.
The initial proposal, presented on October 14, 2024, requested an additional $77,000, allocating specific increases as follows:
- New Hire: $850
- Highly Effective: $1,250
- Effective: $850
- Grandfathered: $1,100
A subsequent and final proposal requested an additional $57,000, with revised salary adjustments:
- New Hire: $700
- Highly Effective: $1,150
- Effective: $1,000
- Grandfathered: $1,000
Despite these proposals, the Holmes County School Board and Superintendent determined that no additional funding beyond the state-allocated $159,117 (post-tax) for 206.35 teachers would be distributed. Instead, existing funds were restructured, leading to the following approved salary increases for the 2024-2025 academic year:
- New Base Salary: $44,024
- New Hire: $556
- Highly Effective: $884
- Effective: $556
- Grandfathered: $730
Additionally, increased insurance costs are expected to affect many employees, potentially offsetting these salary adjustments and impacting take-home pay. The timeline for disbursing these salary adjustments remains undetermined.
Facing declining student enrollment, the Holmes County School Board has proposed reducing 30 positions from the district’s total workforce of 232 employees. The district has cited enrollment decreases as a primary factor contributing to budget limitations. While the Virtual Program had been proposed as a potential solution to student retention concerns, the district has opted to discontinue the initiative. Further strategies to attract and retain students remain unspecified, apart from prior efforts by school principals to contact absent students in the fall. No additional retention measures have been publicly detailed.
During negotiations, HCTA presented a letter from Sheria Griffin, Executive Director of the Florida Educators Association, addressed to Superintendent Buddy Brown. The letter raised concerns that district representatives may have engaged in actions inconsistent with good faith bargaining. Griffin alleged that multiple reports indicated district representatives made statements such as, “You (the union/teachers) are taking your money” and “You’re making this hard.”
Additionally, the letter cited an incident involving Superintendent Brown during a Senate K-12 Education Committee session, where he referenced the union’s recertification process and its financial implications. Before elaborating further, a legislator interrupted Brown, preventing him from continuing. In response, Brown remarked, “You’re saving me from getting into trouble, right?”
Despite objections from the HCTA, Griffin and the union ultimately agreed to the district’s final terms. Expressing dissatisfaction with the outcome, Griffin stated, “It is with a heavy heart… this is the lowest I have seen teachers get for starting salary.”
She further expressed concerns over potential teacher departures, stating, “We anticipate a mass exodus of teachers in this area… teachers went crazy when they heard about what was offered, and that the district refused to offer anything else. This professional position is becoming nomadic in nature, and we expect numerous good and great teachers to leave for better pay and appreciation in other counties.”
Attorney Leonard Dietzen, representing the School Board in bargaining negotiations, acknowledged some resignations but questioned whether they were directly tied to the agreement. “We asked about this, and four announced they are leaving, and two are retiring,” Dietzen stated.
“That is the ones who were leaving already, not ones in response to this,” countered HCTA President Vicki Steverson.
Dietzen further argued, “I mean, we hear that after all of these [negotiations], but somehow, we maintain steady numbers.”
Griffin responded, “All I’m saying is that the consensus is that teachers are not happy, and there will be a mass exodus to other districts… Washington, Walton, and Jackson counties all start teachers at $45,000, and their teachers are receiving $1,000 to $1,200 raises at least this year.”
Steverson added, “People stay in this district and teach not because of the money but because they love this county and felt appreciated. But when that appreciation goes away, those teachers won’t care to leave the professional contract anymore.”
Superintendent Buddy Brown addressed the concerns following the negotiations, stating:
“This year’s negotiations with the HCTA have finally come to a close. Throughout the process, the statements and attacks by the union against the district have failed to consider one issue: declining student enrollment… The state has already shown the funding decrease for this year to be around $1.2 million. If we had more monies to allocate to teacher salaries, we would. I would like to point out that teachers have received raises for the last five years—an unprecedented trend in our district. However, the compaction of the salary schedule due to the TSIA statute has made it difficult to equitably distribute funds among experienced educators. The vitriolic language used during these negotiations has been less than professional, and I hope we can now move past this difficult period and focus on our students.”
HCTA President Vicki Steverson also issued a statement:
“Negotiations should be a space for fair and professional dialogue, but this year, the tone of the Board’s paid representative was, at times, dismissive of the hard work our teachers put in every day. Advocacy is not unprofessional—it is necessary. As educators and as taxpayers, we have every right to ask questions about how public funds are spent and to expect clear, honest answers from our elected officials. The best way to make an impact is to show up, engage in these discussions, and be heard.”
The Holmes County Advertiser spoke with numerous district teachers; however, none were willing to comment on the record citing fear of retaliation.
Despite ongoing discussions and disagreements, the School Board’s stance remained unchanged, with Dietzen affirming, “The board only gave permission to negotiate with TSIA funds only.” With budget constraints, potential staff reductions, and teacher retention concerns, the district now faces the challenge of maintaining a stable and effective workforce for the upcoming academic year.
Staff Report 
Hannah Collins 