TAMPA, Florida — The school year is almost over but before the next begins, the Hillsborough County teachers union is asking for a raise.
Negotiations began Monday as a recent report ranked Florida among the lowest in teacher pay nationwide. The union is asking for about a 6% increase across the board, according to Hillsborough Classroom Teachers Association President Rob Kriete.
Kriete believes more pay is one way to show what teachers and staff do matters, especially when many teaching vacancies exist.
"This job has been monumentally more difficult ever since the pandemic, and they're showing up and they're doing everything they can for these kids, so they deserve that," Kriete said.
The average salary of Florida teachers ranked 50th in the nation, according to a National Education Association report. It showed Florida’s average public school teacher pay at $53,098, with a minimum living wage of $58,970.
However, its average starting salary ranked Florida at 16th.
Local teachers like Katie Sparks Jones said every penny counts especially at a time when inflation is affecting her bills.
"We're just trying to, you know, do right by our own families and provide for them as well as being there for our students, which is a real challenge," Sparks Jones said.
A survey the union presented shows salary remains a top concern for staff and provided personal anecdotal statements highlighting the impact of pay.
"You often feel very isolated in the classroom, and it always feels like an uphill struggle, so just knowing that there are community members out there that are sensitive to our needs is encouraging," Sparks Jones said.
The school district and the union are expected to meet again later this month.
Separately, voters will also get the chance this November to decide if they want to increase property taxes in an effort to retain teachers and help with pay through a referendum.
In a statement to the ongoing negotiations, a spokesperson for Hillsborough County Public Schools wrote the following:
"As we begin Teacher Appreciation Week, we are grateful to be at the table negotiating with our employee groups.
"This is the earliest we have started bargaining in many years. Our employees are the heartbeat of our organization and we are eager to negotiate their salaries for the 2024-2025 school year.
"The goal of the Superintendent and the School Board is to finalize negotiations before the start of the next school year."