I.U.P.A. General Counsel Maria Kazouris recently finished negotiations with Sarasota County Schools alongside Sarasota County School Police Association, I.U.P.A. Local #6046 President Mary McCarrick and Sarasota County School Sergeant Association, I.U.P.A. Local #6047 President Todd Perna. There were numerous successes!

This was Sarasota County School Sergeant Association, I.U.P.A. Local #6047’s first collective bargaining agreement!

Sergeants will now no longer have mandatory unpaid overtime. Instead, overtime will be paid and assigned after a voluntary process is followed.

Other highlights of the collective bargaining agreement include:

Article 15: UNIFORMS

  • Codifies shorts as part of the SCPD uniform and explains when shorts can and cannot be worn.

Article 24: Discipline

  • Requirement of Just Cause for Discipline.

Article 28: Wages

  • School Calendar School Year 2024-2025: 4.5% hourly wage increase retroactive to July 1, 2024 and a $600.00 one-time supplement.
  • School Calendar School Year 2025-2025: Effective, July 1, 2025, a 4.5% hourly wage increase in addition to (.5% COLA increase if you worked a half a year plus one day this school calendar year, 2024-2025)  .
  • Increase to minimum starting sergeant hourly wage for this school calendar year, 2024-2025, to $42.72.
  • Increase to minimum starting sergeant hourly wage for 2025-2026 school calendar year, effective July 1, 2025, to $44.64.

Article 31: Workday

  • Sergeants will not be assigned on-call duty.
  • Establishes a 40-hour work week. All hours more than 40 hours per week must be paid at the overtime rate and shall not be banked. Overtime shall be retroactive to July 1, 2024, if it can be reasonably proved to have been worked.

Sarasota County School Police Association, I.U.P.A. Local #6046 overwhelmingly voted yes on the new contract!

Highlights of the improvements include:

Article 15: Uniforms

  • Codifies shorts as part of the SCPD uniform and explains when shorts can and cannot be worn.

Article 28: Wages

  • School Calendar School Year 2024-2025:  4.5% hourly wage increase retroactive to July 1, 2024 and a $600.00 one-time supplement.
  • School Calendar School Year 2025-2025:  Effective, July 1, 2025, a 4.5% hourly wage increase in addition to (.5% COLA increase if you worked a half a year plus one day this school calendar year, 2024-2025).
  • Increase the minimum starting hourly wage for this school calendar year, 2024-2025 to $31.35.
  • Increase the minimum starting hourly wage for 2025-2026 school calendar year, effective July 1, 2025, to $32.76.

Article 43: Transfers

  • Second watch officers with less than one year of service can transfer to a first watch position if no eligible officers from first watch have applied to that vacancy. Officers may submit a memorandum of interest when a vacancy is announced.