For the first time in recent memory, Hillsborough county public school teachers will know what their salary is before the start of the school year.
Negotiations between the teachers union and district typically stretch into the fall or even spring semester.
But union leaders and school board officials said, this year, they were able to reach a swifter compromise.
"The School Board, my team, and I have prioritized reaching an agreement with our employee groups well in advance of the school year," Superintendent Van Ayres said in a statement. "This underscores our commitment to investing in our employees and enabling them to concentrate on student success when the academic year commences."
The deal means teachers will see, on average, at least a 5.5% pay bump, plus additional payments that were negotiated.
That means most educators will receive about a $3,350 salary increase.
Support staff also get raises
The bargaining team was able to secure an increase of 8% for support professionals, a group that has been traditionally "disregarded by the legislature in their budget considerations for decades," according to the Hillsborough County Teachers Association.
And support professionals who work with nurses and special education students will see an even greater boost of 13%.
Most educators will also be getting additional payments of $1,500 at the start of the school year.
Support professionals who typically are not paid during the holidays will receive an extra $1,000 when school resumes in January.
Those at the top of the pay scale will receive one-time payments of $2,500.
Bargaining sessions began in early May and the tentative agreement was reached on June 25.
The overall increase to the teacher salary budget is about $54 million.
"This is a testament to this shared goal of prioritizing employees pay and what they're going to be looking at coming into the school year. It's rare, and it's a great milestone that we hit," said Brittni Wegmann, the HCTA's executive director.
The early deal comes amid campaigns for a tax referendum on this fall's ballot to further raise teacher and staff salaries.
Rob Kriete, HCTA president, said while the contract settlement is a step in the right direction, the fight for better pay is not over.
Tax referendum could further help
"Even with this agreement, we're not commensurate with what other districts can do to to recruit and even retain teachers," said Kriete.
Average teacher pay in Hillsborough is lower than that of surrounding districts.
Ayres have touted the millage referendum — which would raise property taxes by $1 for every $1000 of assessed value — as a way to close that gap.
The school district also acknowledged in an email statement about the contract agreement that average teacher pay in Florida as a whole ranks low.
According to the NEA, the state is 50th in the nation with an average annual salary of about $53,098.
"Research shows the #1 factor impacting a child's success is the teacher in their classroom. We must now work as a community to ensure we retain and recruit the best teachers and support staff for our students," wrote the district.
