What do we expect from the people who teach our children? We expect them to inspire confidence, comfort them when they’re hurting, encourage them to dream big, and care for their health and wellbeing. Every school day, Orange County parents trust educators with what matters most to them: their children.
Yet many of those same educators are now confronting an impossible question in their own lives: Can they still afford to care for their own families if their healthcare costs increase dramatically?
Healthcare costs are rising everywhere. School districts, businesses, and families all feel the pressure. We understand those challenges. But solving them primarily on the backs of educators who teach nearly 180,000 Orange County students carries consequences far beyond a balance sheet.
The reality is that OCPS teachers were already struggling to make ends meet before these proposed healthcare increases. Florida ranks 50th in the nation in average teacher pay. Many educators work second jobs and stretch every paycheck just to support their families. When healthcare costs rise dramatically in one year on top of that, what may look like an adjustment on paper for the district becomes an actual financial crisis for educators.
Health insurance only works if families can afford to use it. When deductibles and out-of-pocket costs become too overwhelming, people don’t stop getting sick. They delay doctor’s appointments, postpone preventive care, and wait longer before seeking treatment because they are worried about the cost.
For me, that reality is deeply personal.
I grew up in a small Midwestern town. There was a lot of love in our home, but very little money. I remember my parents at the kitchen table deciding which bills could be paid and which would have to wait. We had no health insurance.
Clinton McCracken is the president of the Orange County Classroom Teachers Association, the largest AFT teachers union by membership in Florida. (Courtesy photo)
One day I fell from our backyard treehouse and landed hard on my tailbone. The pain was so severe that I passed out. When I regained consciousness, my sister and I made a promise not to tell our parents because we knew they couldn’t afford the hospital bill. I have issues with my back to this day because of it.
Looking back, no family should ever be placed in that position.
That experience taught me something I have never forgotten: when healthcare becomes unaffordable, families often choose silence instead of treatment.
Today, I worry Orange County educators could face similar choices. Should they delay a mammogram? Put off a child’s specialist appointment? Wait another week to fill a prescription? No family should have to make those decisions because healthcare has become unaffordable.
The impact extends beyond finances.
Educators are expected to give their full attention to students. But worrying about affording a doctor’s visit or prescription doesn’t disappear when the school day begins. Financial stress follows educators into the classroom. Strong schools depend on educators who are healthy and fully present for their students.
OCPS wants to recruit and retain outstanding educators. Compensation is more than salary alone. It is the entire package families rely on to build a life. If healthcare costs more than erase the value of a pay increase and end up with a 7% overall pay cut, we should not be surprised when talented educators begin looking elsewhere.
This conversation is about more than insurance premiums and deductibles. It is about whether the people entrusted with educating children in Orange County can afford to care for their own children as well. Every school morning, parents place tremendous trust in educators. They trust them to teach, to encourage, to protect, and to care for their children. Those educators deserve the peace of mind of knowing they can do the same for their own families. This issue is too important to remain confined to bargaining sessions or school board meetings.
Over the past several weeks, I have written to hundreds of community leaders across Orange County, including business, healthcare, education, faith, labor, nonprofit, civic and elected leaders. I wanted them to understand what this proposal would mean for the educators who teach nearly 180,000 Orange County students.
The increases proposed by OCPS are the largest in one year our national union has ever seen. It will be catastrophic. Our community has always valued its public schools and the people who make them work. Today, I am asking our community to stand with Orange County educators once again. We need your voice.
Clinton McCracken is a 26-year OCPS teacher and former National Magnet Teacher of the Year. He is the president of the Orange County Classroom Teachers Association, the largest AFT teachers union by membership in Florida representing nearly 13,000 OCPS educators.