PALM BEACH COUNTY, Fla. — The Classroom Teachers Association (CTA) and the School District of Palm Beach County have come to a tentative agreement on teacher health insurance costs.
The new agreement will increase what teachers have to pay for health insurance for the next three years.
WPTV spoke to one teacher, who wanted to remain anonymous, who said the new cost increase is absolutely ridiculous.
Education
'This is serious': Negotiations continue for teachers' cost of health insurance
"It is just another nail in the coffin. The increase of my insurance is going to eat up the tiny little raise that the CTA supposedly fought for," the teacher told WPTV.
The deal impacts nearly 13,000 teachers in the county, but the teacher we spoke with said this plan will especially impact young teachers and also retention.
"They can't afford to live on the salary they have now," the teacher said. "It's going to push a lot of people to not wait an extra year. They just going to leave now. Some people are just leaving in the middle of the year."
The CTA said the plan is a three-year deal that will expire in 2027.
Next year, teacher contributions will go up $18 per pay period. District contributions will increase $55 per pay period. The district will also contribute $30 million in a one-time fund.
In 2026, employees will see another $18 increase per pay period and district contributions will go up another $25 per pay period.
In the third year, for 2027, teachers will see a $6 increase per pay period with district contributions of another $11.
CTA President Gordan Longhofer said he is happy with the deal and believes the increases are manageable for employee overtime.
Teachers and the board will now vote on the agreement. The CTA told WPTV that they are confident that it will pass.
With the new agreement, there will also be another open enrollment for teachers so they can pick the plan that's right for them.
