ST. JOHNS COUNTY, Fla. – The St. Johns County School District and the teachers union have come to a tentative agreement that could significantly boost teacher pay.
The two sides came to a tentative agreement last week to boost starting teacher pay from $45,535 to $47,500 for beginning teachers, a salary that the district hopes will keep it competitive with other districts in the state and help to recruit new teachers.
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“I can tell you that this raise was as a total compensation package double what we’ve ever been able to negotiate for. It was needed. We’re in a labor shortage that is affecting teachers as well. So it was needed,” said Justin Vogel, chief negotiator for the St. Johns Education Association.
The deal would also increase pay for most veteran teachers with positive performance evaluations between $2,185 and $3,423. For example, a teacher that has worked for the district for 10 years would get a $2,773 raise if they were rated highly effective last year.
The agreement also includes a 27.5% supplement pay raise for athletic coaches, club sponsors and department chairs.
The raises would cost the district $10 million and come from a mix of state and district funds, Vogel said.
St. Johns County School District Chief Negotiator Cathy Weber emailed a statement to News4JAX about the agreement:
The agreement will still have to be approved by union members and the school board before it takes effect. That is expected to happen in the coming weeks.
The two sides meet again on Thursday to hash out the final details, Vogel said, including negotiating some compensation for teachers that have been filling in because of substitute teacher shortages in the district.