CLAY COUNTY, Fla. – The fight over better pay continues in Clay County. Teachers said they haven't seen a raise in two years. Many of those educators gathered at a school board meeting Thursday night at Fleming High School.
Teachers told the school board they need to agree on a pay increase or more educators will be leave the district.
A representative with the Florida Education Association helping those teachers push for higher wages said 475 teachers have left the district since 2013. That's 10 percent of the district's educators.
They said what's worse is health care costs have continued to increase.
School district officials said they want to come up with a solution to keep teachers in the county.
In addition to teachers, support staff like bus drivers, cafeteria workers, custodians, nurses and IT staff also haven't had a raise in seven years.
"We have a large percentage of those folks making below the poverty level," said Tracy Butler, with Florida Education Association. "We are very alarmed by the lack of interest in giving those folks a raise."
A person representing the teachers said health insurance rates have increased 18 percent over the last two years. The representative said the teachers want a $1,000 raise.
District officials said it offered a $500 pay increase, but the spokesperson representing the teachers said $450 of that was rescinded and only a $50 raise was offered.
The district and teachers are at an impasse.
"We'd love to give teachers a pay raise," said Human Resources Assistant Superintendent David Browskie. "The issue really is the financial resources of the district don't allow that to occur at this time."
District officials said it's up to the school board if the district wants to increase the sales tax or millage so higher salaries can be supported.
They want a resolution.
"We're always hopeful. We always want to talk to our teachers," Browskie said. "We think we've got great teachers in Clay County. A lot of teachers teach in Clay County because it's a great place to work."
But teachers said there has to be a solution as well.
"We are losing teachers at an alarming rate in Clay County," Butler said. "What we want to say to these folks is that if we can not compensate our teachers fairly and competitively, we are not going to be able to keep the best and brightest."
Butler said if a decision isn't made, they're going to see a special magistrate with the Professional Employees Regulation Commission, a commission for professionals, to see if anything can be done about a pay increase. That could happen in early December.