JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Some of Duval County’s teachers are going to get a pay bump after a new deal between the school district and the local union of education employees.
The new agreement boosts the starting pay for teachers in Duval County Public Schools to $47,500, up from $45,891.
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Raising the base pay for teachers in the state of Florida has been a foundation of Gov. Ron DeSantis’ education policy.
In 2020, the Republican leader called for all 67 districts to boost minimum salaries to $47,500 — or as close to that number as possible with the fund allocated that year.
The salary increase means certain DCPS teachers will get as much as $1,600 extra under the new schedule.
Union leadership has said it was a much-needed increase, but that the plan has left experienced veterans of the classroom behind.
Under the new pay schedule, it’s possible for a teacher with as many as 14 years of experience to be paid the same or nearly the same as an educator just starting out.
The DeSantis administration touted the move as a mechanism for recruitment, aiming to get teachers from other states to move to Florida for the competitive starting pay.
The inequity of compensation, Duval Teachers United President Terrie Brady said, causes a decline in morale amidst longtime educators.
Brady said the Duval County School Board and Superintendent Dr. Diana Greene worked to find funds in the district’s revenue to compensate more experienced teachers, softening some of the inequity.