Teacher Pay

The comments by Miguel Cardona came during his tour Thursday of NeoCity Academy in Kissimmee.

A judge ruled in favor of the school district, which filed a lawsuit after county commissioners voted to delay the referendum until 2026.

The lawsuit comes after the county commission unexpectedly voted to delay a tax referendum that would fund teacher salaries by two years.

The referendum would have asked county voters to levy an additional one mill on property taxes to increase pay for teachers and school staffers.

Negotiations typically stretch into the fall or even spring semester. But, this year, teacher union leaders and school officials landed a swifter compromise.

The Manatee County school district partners with USF to offer intensive experiences in classrooms for education undergraduates — and it is one of the few programs in Florida to pay interns.

A proposed local property tax increase could generate almost $180 million that would go mainly towards increasing teacher and staff pay.

Across the state, educators and school district leaders call for increased funding.

The one millage property tax would cost the average homeowner about $1 a day, and close a wage gap that Superintendent Van Ayres said is causing employees to leave the district.

Last school year, the county received $60 million in local property tax revenue. About 80% of that went toward increasing teacher pay.

Florida teachers are leaving the state and their profession. They blame unrealistic workloads, restrictive laws and stagnant pay.

The Hillsborough County School Board delayed a vote on a tax referendum that would raise money for teacher salaries.