Florida teachers union to lawmakers: Increase our pay

The Florida Education Association (FEA) is asking state lawmakers to take a pledge — to make them “at least” average.

The statewide teachers union held a press call Tuesday about boosting their pay, saying that “Florida’s public school teachers and education staff professionals sit near the bottom of the national barrel when it comes to pay, ranking at 45th or worse when compared to other states.”

They’re asking lawmakers to sign on to the FEA’s “Pledge to Improve Teacher and Education Staff Professional Salaries” and commit to “lifting wages to at least the national average by fiscal year 2023.”

“This shouldn’t be a big reach” for them, said Joanne McCall, FEA president, adding that many teachers take second jobs to “make ends meet.”

One teacher, Brian Kerekes of Osceola County, said he works at Walt Disney World “to have a little money left over to have a life.”

Now, “Florida’s public schools have a tough time finding and keeping enough qualified teachers,” a statement said. “According to state records, 40 percent of new teachers leave the classroom within their first five years in the profession, well above the national average.

“Pay is a big part of the problem. The average teacher salary in Florida is more than $12,000 less per year than the national average of $59,660. Average teacher pay in Florida has decreased in the past decade by a whopping 12.2 percent in inflation-adjusted dollars, from 2009 to 2018, as shown by statistics from the National Education Association.

With the salary pledge, “we’re taking the fight directly to the people who can do something about it,” McCall said. “They can sign and join us, or stand against fair treatment for Florida’s educators, and against high-quality public schools and the students who depend on us.”

For the full text of the pledge, answers to frequently asked questions, and an updated list of elected officials and candidates who have signed (all of whom are Democrats), visit www.floridaeducationsalarypledge.com.

“They can sign and join us, or stand against us,” McCall said.