BROWARD COUNTY, Fla. – When it comes to teacher salaries, Broward Schools could be taking an unprecedented and audacious direction by paying teachers $100,000 in total compensation by 2025.
Broward School Board Member Allen Zeman is driving the latest proposal and says this is the time to do it as the district has money to afford it.
According to Zeman, the county has had a 9.1% increase in state funding, a 100% increase in referendum, and a 13% increase in property values.
The school district also operates a $5.6 billion budget.
Zeman gave Local 10 viewers an explanation on Tuesday of how it would work.
“We’ve created a feasible solution to pay teachers $100,000 of total compensation. That’s pay, that’s retirement and that’s medical -- real things that teachers feel,” he said.
It also means teachers would take home about $80,000 and total compensation for assistant principals and principals would also go up to about $150,000.
While the majority of the school board likes the idea, the proposal brings plenty of skepticism and concerns from others on how this could be sustained long-term given outside factors like the economy and state funding.
Zeman wants the new superintendent to prepare a budget built around this proposal, but the new superintendent says there are still some unknowns.
“It’s my fourth day on the job and you’re going to ask me to re-invigorate an entire budget, which would include cutting contracted services, which could impact ESE children of their service,” said Broward County Superintendent Peter Licata, who was officially sworn in Tuesday.
The conversation involving teachers’ starting salaries was moved to next Tuesday. The average starting salary for teachers in Broward County is about $49,000.