FOR LAUDERDALE, Fla. – Marry Carr, a 23-year veteran teacher, was among the protesters who met on Wednesday afternoon to demand better pay from Broward County Public Schools.
Carr, a teacher at Pioneer Middle School in Cooper City, said she and many of her colleagues are struggling to make ends meet amid cost of living increases.
“It’s a sham! It’s not fair! It’s not right!”
Protesters were asking for a 9% increase. Broward Teachers Union has been asking school board members for a 7% pay increase since June, but the school district countered with a meager 1.7%.
“It has become relentlessly endless,” said Anna Fusco, the union’s president. “The expectation to get the job done and they don’t want to give any extra money.”
In August, Broward teachers got supplemental pay increases based on the property tax referendum that Broward voters approved in November. There was a range: New hires got $500 extra. Teachers with 15 years of experience received a $12,000 increase.
In July 2022, the Broward County School Board voted 5-4 against raising teachers’ wages.
John Sullivan, the chief communications and legislative affairs officer for Broward County Public Schools, released a chart with the proposal to pay $100,000 to teachers, and $150,000 to principals and assistant principals by 2025.
Broward School Board Member Allen Zeman said the BCPS budget had an increase in state funding of a little over 9%, a 13% increase in property values. There was also a referendum that generated about $177 million.
“What this really means is about a 3 to 4% raise for teachers,” Zeman said before the vote.
The five school board members who voted against the proposal were Chair Lori Alhadeff, Torey Alston, Brenda Fam, Sarah Leonardi, and Nora Rupert.
The school board members who voted in support of the proposal were Zeman, Debi Hixon, Daniel P. Foganholi, and Jeff Holness. But even Hixon had reservations.
“I’m very concerned about promising an additional $10,000 with all the unknowns that we have,” Hixon, the vice chair, said before the vote.
The failed proposal listed reductions to the budget that included cuts to IT contracts by 20%, vacant clerical and administrative positions, custodial staff, technology contracts reduced by 15%, and conference and professional development travel cut by 30%.
“There is nothing in this budget that would require an incumbent to lose their position,” Zeman said during the meeting.
Other proposed changes to the budget included relocating $2.5 to $3.5 million from a recruiting vendor to substitute teacher pay.
“There is a real competition for talent out there and I want Broward to be the first county in Florida to pay teachers $100,000 by 2025,” Zeman said.
Broward County Superintendent Peter Licata reiterated his concerns before the school board voted.
“This is going to be huge for Broward. We just have got to make sure we do it in a deliberate fashion to make sure we’re not removing services,” Licata said. “That worries me too.”
The referendum that generated about $177 million expires in about five years.
Florida law requires district school boards to adopt and use a salary schedule that although subject to collective bargaining considers annual performance assessments, professional experience, and educational degree level.
State law also requires the district and union to negotiate wages, hours, and terms and conditions of employment, which are included in the collective bargaining agreement, which not only includes the salary schedule but also benefits such as health insurance and grievance procedures.
The school board did not completely close the door on the idea and instructed the superintendent to bring back a budget this coming January that includes the pay increase.
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