Ballots will soon be arriving!

Orange Education Support Professionals Association has successfully petitioned for the 2026 Recertification Election with the Public Employees Relations Commission.

Ballots will be mailed on: October 20th

Voting Deadline: November 17th

Your mail ballot packet will be delivered to the address on file with the District at the time the election was set. If you are shielded/exempt from public record, your ballot will be delivered to you at your worksite. Please review the ballot materials carefully and follow all instructions enclosed.

Complete and return your ballot immediately. Your union recommends placing your ballot back in the mail by no later than November 10th to ensure timely delivery. Ballots received after the deadline will not be counted.

For questions or assistance in requesting a replacement ballot, contact: orangeoespa@gmail.com

Here's what to look for...

ORLANDO - October 1, 2026

OESPA and OCPS remain at impasse over 2026-2027 salaries and benefits. The parties are awaiting the Special Magistrate's recommendation and anticipate a final public hearing before the School Board of Orange County on October 21st.

On April 30th, Orange County Public Schools declared impasse at the bargaining table with OESPA in negotiations on the topics of health insurance and wage increases.

At the time, the OCPS board had proposed a 1% wage increase and major increases to insurance costs with the elimination of the contract language guaranteeing a $0 cost plan option for employees.

OESPA understands that these increases along with the minute wage increases would likely create great hardships on the employees we represent. OESPA remains unwilling to accept these terms.

As of the declaration of impasse, OCPS has declined to offer the renewal of any of the existing bonus incentive MOUs. These will remain for the remainder of this school year. However, they will not be guaranteed for the upcoming or future years.

These MOUs were allowed to expire at the conclusion of the 2025-2026 contract year:

1. Transportation Driver Critical Shortage Bonus
2. Transportation Monitor Incentive Bonus
3. Transportation Safe Driver Bonus
4. Transportation Combo Pay
5. Fleet Service Critical Shortage Bonus
6. Self-Contained ASD/EBD Bonus
7. Magnolia Job Coach Bonus
8. Mentor for School Bookkeeper
9. Mentor for Secretary/Bookkeeper
10. Educator Advancement Bonus

OESPA was greatly disappointed in the District's decision to declare impasse and remains receptive to dialogue as the parties proceed through the impasse process.

As an OESPA member and through involvement in your union, you have an advantage. You have the power to bargain, the power to negotiate; and the power to change things, win improvements, and accomplish the goals that matter to you!

Who can join?

OESPA is the union for OCPS employees whose positions fall under the following job families:
 

• Transportation
• Paraprofessionals
• Clerical
• Custodial
• Uniformed Security
• Maintenance
• Food Service
• Technology

If you aren't sure which job family your position falls under, check Appendix A-1 in your contract.

Click to Open the OESPA Membership Application

In AFT President Randi Weingarten’s latest New York Times  column, she describes what it is exactly that unions do. Though unions are the most popular they have been in decades, anti-union sentiment still thrives in red states and across the nation. “Several years ago, The Atlantic ran a story whose headline made even me, a labor leader, scratch my head: ‘Union Membership: Very Sexy,’” Weingarten writes in the column. “The gist was that higher wages, health benefits and job security—all associated with union membership—boost one’s chances of getting married. Belonging to a union doesn’t actually guarantee happily ever after, but it does help working people have a better life in the here and now.” Click through to read the full column.