FORT LAUDERDALE, FLA. (WSVN) - Educators in Broward County are trying to teach a lesson outside the classroom by protesting their pay before the school board.
7News cameras on Wednesday afternoon captured Broward Teachers Union President Anna Fusco as she addressed board members at the Broward County Schools headquarters.
“I sure hope that when we come to negotiation that you guys that are sitting at the dais or [behind] a closed door come with a decent salary increase,” she said.
The teachers union is demanding a decent raise for the 2023-24 school year.
“To sit here and wait to keep taking and taking and taking, and piling on and piling on and piling on — our educators, our support staff are human, but they still show up, and they still want to give to their students, and that in itself – ‘thank you’ is great,” Fusco told 7News. “OK, we appreciate that, but you know what else they need and they would appreciate more? You expect us to give back more, we’re expecting you to pay us what we deserve.”
Wednesday’s meeting takes place as the union and the school board are in the middle of contract negotiations. So far, the board has come back with a 1.7% increase. However, teachers who came to the meeting said their insurance has spiked, and the 1.7% doesn’t even pay for that increase.
“Broward School Board comes back with insurance, and the insurance hike this year was $10,600. I did the math; it’s $520 every two weeks,” said special education teacher Betty Morin.
The union is asking for a 9% increase.
“That 9% that we’re asking for is not a big deal to do, and I don’t know why they’re doing it to us,” said Marie Carr, who has taught in Broward schools for 23 years.
Cameras captured a long line outside the headquarters to get in. Some attendees held signs from children. One read, “Is my mom really worth nothing?”
“If inflation is going up, why aren’t our salaries going up? That’s a big thing, you know?” said Carr. “And so, we’re all here to speak on behalf of teachers, we’re here to fight for teachers and what they deserve.”
A spokesperson for the school district issued a statement that reads, “The district is committed to working with the Broward Teachers Union on the 2023/24 contract negotiations. At this time, negotiations remain ongoing and will resume at the next scheduled meeting on Thursday, November 16.”
Broward County Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Peter Licata addressed teachers directly during the meeting.
“We do value you, we do hear you, and we do understand you, so we appreciate your time. We do hear you,” he said. “All of us sat here and listened intently on what you had to say, because we do want to respect your time, and there are good incredibly good stories out there, there are some incredibly great facts that you brought up, and it did not fall on deaf ears.”
Licata said board members spoke in a closed-door meeting prior to the one teachers attended, and they will continue to work on these contract negotiations into next week.
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