Orange County School Board to vote on contract dispute affecting over 10,000 employees

More than 10,000 Orange County Public Schools employees could see their finances impacted Wednesday when the school board takes up a months-long contract dispute with the teachers’ union.The fight has been at an impasse since April. A special magistrate was called in to broker a resolution, but the district rejected the recommendations Tuesday, saying it cannot afford them.What the magistrate proposedThe magistrate recommended capping health insurance premium increases at 20% and setting individual deductibles between $750 and $900 — far below the district’s proposal of $2,000 to $3,000. For family coverage, the magistrate recommended capping deductibles at $1,800, compared to the district’s proposal, which could reach $6,000.Last week, the magistrate said the OCPS proposal would “create undue financial hardship” for teachers.Why OCPS said noThe district says the magistrate’s recommendations would add $105.1 million in costs to a budget already strained by declining enrollment and insu