Hillsborough Veteran Teachers, New Teachers Get Salary Increase

Tampa FL

21 October, 2020

5:57 PM

Description

HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY, FL — Hillsborough County Public Schools Superintendent Addison Davis announced that a tentative agreement has been reached with the Classroom Teachers Association, providing a salary increase for all teachers. The superintendent and the school board's priority this year has been to protect current, permanent staff, while preserving school-based programs and extracurricular activities. "As staffing adjustments are made across the district, we cannot forget those serving on the front lines. Our teachers have provided students with innovative learning opportunities, both online and in our classrooms, during this pandemic and we're thrilled we're able to honor their hard work with this agreement," said Davis. Salary adjustments will be realized, in part, due to the passage of House Bill 641, the state's Teacher Salary Increase Allocation. As a result, Hillsborough County will receive $38 million for teacher salary adjustments this year, of which a portion must go to charter schools. By law, 80 percent of those funds are earmarked toward the minimum base salary for new teachers. Under the district's proposal, 4,478 teachers in traditional schools will be moved up to a salary of $46,900. The district's previous starting salary for new teachers was $40,000. "Our district is grateful the state has provided the increase for this group of employees, as the new salary adjustment becomes an important recruiting tool to continue bringing high-quality teachers to Hillsborough County," Davis said. "However, we cannot lose sight of the teachers who have dedicated their careers to the county's students and reward them for their service during the pandemic. District leadership has now developed a plan to realize this collective increase in pay while keeping the district financially strong." He said it is important to note this tentative agreement was reached at the negotiating table and must now be voted on by the Hillsborough County School Board and ratified by the members of the bargaining unit. This salary adjustment is anchored by Governor DeSantis' commitment to dedicating $500 million toward raising teachers' salaries throughout the state of Florida in which $38,640,276.00 is allocated to Hillsborough County Public Schools ($5,579,515.92 must be sent to charter schools). "We have asked our teachers to do a great deal more during this difficult time. We knew through this whole budget process, we wanted to provide salary adjustments that would acknowledge the commitment of our instructional staff," Davis said. "We must make our district competitive because, when we have the best teachers, we get the best outcomes for our children." When Davis arrived seven months ago, he shared his vision to create a world-class learning experience in every school, every classroom, every day. The pandemic temporarily shifted his plan but now he said he is resetting with the following priorities: Improving Student Achievement and Eliminating "D" and "F" Schools;Improving the Overall Financial Health and Stewardship of Tax Payers Money;Actively Engaging our Community and Ensuring Ongoing Outreach. The district will undergo a multi-phased process over the next two to three years designed to make the district reliable and efficient and to operate within what the district earns based on student enrollment. The staffing adjustments are intended to be a first step so that the district can continuously protect, as much as possible, the employees in the district, he said.