TAMPA, Fla. — Florida was ranked last in the country for the average salary for teachers in a new report.
It showed Florida’s average public school teacher pay at $53,098, with a minimum living wage of $58,970.
The state dropped in rankings from No. 48 last year to almost last. The only state with a lower salary is West Virginia at $52, 870 with a minimum living wage of $60,082.
“Once again, despite a thriving economy, Florida is failing to prioritize the needs of students by not fairly compensating teachers and staff," said Andrew Spar, President of the Florida Education Association. “We need Florida's lawmakers to step up and take bold action and fully fund public education to ensure our students can learn and grow. Florida’s students and educators need better.”
The National Education Association reviewed salary, pay gaps, student spending and other factors in its report.
State budget and teacher shortage in Florida
In this year’s budget, lawmakers included $1.2 billion for increasing salaries, which is a $200 million increase from last year. The Florida Education Association said this still isn’t enough to cover the roughly 200,000 educators.
“The salary increases being proposed in Florida’s budget don’t move the needle far enough or fast enough for educators working toward a better life,” the association said in a statement.
Following the announcement of the budget, Education Commissioner Many Diaz Jr. commended DeSantis for his work to make Florida the No. 1 state in the country for education.
“Florida is ranked as the number one state in the nation for education because we invest in our future,” he said. “By continuing to prioritize workforce education, ensuring we have high-quality teachers, providing choice for all students and making record investments in our students, Florida will no doubt remain No. 1 in education for years to come.”
The Florida Education Association said halfway through the school year that there were more than 4,000 teacher vacancies and more than 3,000 support staff vacancies. The association counts vacancies posted on district websites twice annually.
In the beginning of the year, the association said there were about 7,000 teaching vacancies statewide, but the Florida Department of Education said there were only 4,776 and said the association falsely reported their number.
Initiatives to hire teachers in Florida
In December, the governor awarded $5 million through a grant to expand opportunities for teacher apprenticeships in Florida creating a no-cost pathway to the teaching profession, according to a news release
That came after he signed House Bill 1035 last legislative session establishing the program. The Teacher Apprenticeship Program is a pathway for paraprofessionals employed by school districts with an associate’s degree to become a teacher.
Participants get on-the-job training and related instruction to get a baccalaureate degree.
For veterans who want to become teachers, there is the Military Veterans Certification pathway to allow military service to count toward the requirements for a temporary educator certificate under the mentorship of a teacher.
The temporary certification time period was also extended from three to five years for educators to have more time to meet the requirements to receive a professional educator certificate.
What teacher pay is like in the Tampa Bay area
In Hillsborough County, the school board approved sending a referendum to voters in November that would increase property taxes to increase teacher pay.
It would be an extra dollar for every thousand dollars a home is worth, so if your home is valued at $400,000, that's $400 more a year. Two years ago, a similar effort failed by around 500 votes.
Last year, the district and union agreed on a pay raise which was approved by the school board to give teachers with experience a salary increase.
The average salary in Hillsborough is $54,125, Pinellas is $55,340, Manatee is $52,418, Pasco is $48,057, Polk County is $49,328, Citrus County is $51,629, Sarasota is $66,665 and Hernando is $52,543, according to data from the Florida Department of Education.
What the data is nationally
The national average public school teacher salary for 2022-23 is $69,544 with the Sunshine State being more than $10,000 less. The national average starting salary is $44,530 with Florida being higher at $47,178.
Researchers found salaries nationwide continue to lag behind inflation over the past decade and “much work remains to close the teacher pay penalty and address inadequate pay for all educators.”
The number one state for average teacher salary was California coming in at $95,160 followed by New York at $92,696 and Massachusetts at $92,307.
The report also showed that educators in states with unions earn more with teachers earning 26% more and education support professionals earning 16% more.