Okeechobee County Education Association - OCEA

10/16/2026

Part 3: How can you support OCEA in this election?

-VOTE
-Tell your friends
-Share the posts
-Be a member
-and most important, VOTE

10/16/2026

Part 2: the HOW of voting!

-Deadline: Mail back by October 27 at the LATEST
-Important notes: 1 ballot per return envelope
Then just follow the instructions included!

This video goes over what you need to do to ensure your vote is counted.

10/16/2026

We decided instead of one longer video, we’d do a couple shorter ones with the information.

So here’s Part 1: WHY it’s important to vote in this PERC Election.

Share it. Tell your friends. Vote.

And stay tuned for more information and guidelines today!

10/15/2026

ATTENTION all Okeechobee County Schools Bargaining Unit Members

You likely received your PERC Ballot in the mail today. If your address is redacted it should be delivered to you through county mail.

Please complete the ballot following all enclosed instructions ASAP!

This vote is if you want OCEA to remain the bargaining agent for your contract! If you want to keep your union, vote YES and ensure it is mailed back in time. We recommend sending it by October 27th at the ABSOLUTE LATEST, as the count will happen in the morning November 5th and it took a week for them to arrive.

We will be uploading a video first thing tomorrow morning going through the steps and importance of voting.

Member or not, we appreciate you showing your support for OCEA by participating in this election!

09/26/2026

Don’t forget about all the incredible member benefits you have locally this year!

Looking for cute athletic apparel for you or your child? Faith Athletic Sportswear is locally owned with unique options.

Don’t forget to check out the rest of your member benefits at ocea1604.weebly.com under our Affiliate & Benefits page!

If you’ve joined this school year we’ll be working on getting your new OCEA member discount card to you very soon!

✨ EXCITING PARTNERSHIP ANNOUNCEMENT! ✨
Faith Athletic Sportswear is proud to partner with the Okeechobee County Education Association (OCEA) to show some extra love to the educators who pour into our community every single day! 📚

🍎 OCEA MEMBERS RECEIVE 10% OFF ANY PURCHASE!
From athletic wear and bags to accessories and more, we’ve got you covered!

Simply provide proof of your current OCEA membership to receive your discount.

We’re excited about this partnership and even more excited to support those who educate, inspire, and make a difference every day. 💚

Wear your FAITH. Educate with PURPOSE. ✨

09/17/2026

📣Hey OCEA members

Did you know that your membership buys you into many incredible benefits from our affiliates and partners?!

Check out AFT+Member Benefits today!

Savings for your travel needs — hotels up to 50% off!* Pack your long weekends, road trips, and staycations this fall and beyond. Pro tip: bundle your flight + stay for even deeper discounts. Book now! https://hotels.unionplus.org/
*Terms apply.

09/10/2026

Don’t forget! First semester general membership meeting today!

On Tuesday evening all members were sent a Zoom link via email. Please remember those attending via Zoom will not be able to vote. If you would like to join the Zoom but do not see the email, please check your spam and then either message us or email [email protected]

We will be continuing negotiations next week on Tuesday at 5pm in the board room!

We also have our first general membership meeting for this school year on September 10! We will be in person at our office. We can do a Zoom option if requested, but you would not able to vote on initiatives just gain information or ask questions.

09/03/2026

Bargaining Update!

Today at the table we countered yesterday’s proposal of $500 for Instructional Staff and $250 for Classified Staff. Our proposal was that the qualified employees in each unit receive $900.

The district returned, appreciating the unity across units, with a counter proposal for $600. They explained that this is exhausted all cushion that the district holds in the budget.

We held an informative caucus, where we had a strong showing of members engaged in the conversation.

We returned from caucus to accept their proposal.

We want to thank the district for their transparency, and the willingness to make adjustment to especially the Classified proposal. As our chief negotiator said at the table, our bills don’t have “Instructional” or “Classified” with a different dollar amount. We are happy to present a tentative agreement that gives an equal one-time payment to all employees in our bargaining units who were not covered under TSIA funds.

As a reminder, this one-time payment, upon ratification, would be paid to Instructional Staff who is not covered under TSIA funds as well as all Classified staff who:
-Worked at least one day over half of the 2025-2026 school year for OCSB
-Received an effective or higher performance evaluation for the 2025-2026 school year
-Still employed by the district on date of School Board ratification

Keep an eye on your school email for the full documents of tentative agreements and information on dates from Superintendent Tedders. Remember any classified or instructional staff member has the right to vote.

09/02/2026

Hey OCSB employees 👋

Secretary-Treasurer Sarah here with a little info about that email from Monday!

This was the notice of election from PERC, which is the next step in recertification for our union.

Whether you are a member or not, if you are in the bargaining unit this impacts you! If you were employed July 27th you will be receiving the ballot via mail in early October.

If you wish for OCEA to maintain the bargaining agent for our contract please engage in this election!

There is a little bit more of the specifics in the video, and we will be sharing more information to help make this successful as the time gets closer, but wanted to acknowledge this email in case anyone was confused.

Thanks for taking the time!

09/02/2026

We met again this evening for negotiations.

Mr. Tedders sent out prior proposals in his superintendent Wrap-Up.

Last week we left with a counter proposal from the district for a $350 one-time payment for instructional staff not covered under TSIA funds.

Tonight we returned and countered with a $1000 one-time payment, recognizing the current "financial forecast" of our district and many across the state. We also gave an initial proposal for classified that matched last year's two-step movement agreement.

The district went to caucus and returned with counter offers for a $500 one-time payment for instructional and $250 one-time payment for classified.

We return to the table tomorrow at 5pm in the Board Room on the 3rd floor at district office.

Thank you to everyone who has been showing up and asking for updates to stay informed!

Send a message to learn more