FORT LAUDERDALE, FLA. (WSVN) - Broward County teachers are getting a pay bump after the school board passed a tentative budget.
The expected pay increase comes after voters in 2022 approved a referendum that raised property taxes. Some hope it will allow teachers to receive an additional $10,000. The final amount will be determined in collective bargaining negotiations.
Thanks to voters who agreed to raise property taxes, the board passed the tentative budget, Tuesday night.
On July 26, the school board, in a 5-4 vote, had previously rejected a proposal by member Dr. Allan Zeman, which would have given teachers $100,000 of total compensation by 2025. The compensation included $80,000 in pay and $20,000 in benefits.
Apart from the pay increase, the school board is also working on a permanent salary increase. They are negotiating with the teachers union to see how that would be implemented.
“We’ll negotiate both for the referendum and the pay raise, and we will respect teachers in a way that makes great sense to our community,” Zeman said.
Teachers who attended Tuesday’s meeting told board members that they are struggling.
“My mortgage has gone up, my insurance has gone up, everything has gone up,” said teacher Katrina Whitaker.
“Today, somebody came up to me, and she said to me that she didn’t know how she was going to feed her kids this week,” said Dr. Cindy Burdick, a school counselor. “I’ve given all I can to the point where my kids are telling me, ‘Mommy, stop bringing food into school.'”
“I can barely pay my rent; my roommate just left,” said teacher Stuart Kalver. “My rent is like $3,200; that’s twice and more than my salary and everything month to month. I can’t even afford.”
The school board is committed to get as much money as they can into teachers’ paychecks and our trying to find additional funds for teachers that is within their budget.
“We are putting more money into teachers’ pockets this year,” said Broward County School Board member Debbie Hixon.
Teachers are expected to see the pay increase when classes start in the fall.
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