TAMPA, Fla. — Hillsborough County Public Schools said Wednesday the district reached a tentative pay agreement with the Hillsborough Classroom Teachers Association (HCTA).
But even with the agreement, the district acknowledged it's not competitive on teacher pay compared to surrounding school districts.
According to Hillsborough Schools, the bargaining team "was able to offer an increase for employees, both recurring and non-recurring."
District leaders said the new deal provides a year of experience and movement on the updated salary schedule. The amount of each teacher increase depends on where the employee is currently on the salary schedule.
On top of that, the district said it's adding $500 to the base salary for teachers and providing a one-time additional payment of $1,500 for instructional personnel.
“Our veterans, those are the folks at very, very top of their scale, they don’t get a step increase. They will also have that base increase to their base salary, with a one-time payment and also a longevity additional payment," said Brittni Wegmann, the Executive Director for HCTA.
"This underscores our commitment to investing in our employees and enabling them to concentrate on student success when the academic year commences," Hillsborough Superintendent Van Ayres said in a statement.
Still, the district that even with the increase, "our district is still not able to provide competitive salaries compared to surrounding school districts."
The district said the starting teacher salary is now $48,000. According to the National Education Association, Florida ranks 50th in the nation in average teacher salary.
“Tampa is kind of a bustling, growing place right now. Cost of living is difficult for our folks, so we know we’ve got to do more, but I think the school district is doing the right thing with the funds that they do have," said Wegmann.
The tentative agreement still has to be ratified by employees and approved by the Hillsborough County school board.
Brides, families fighting for refunds after event venue closes suddenly
“We’ve struggled so hard to scrape the money to be able to do this for her,” Irizarry said. “She’s my only girl and I wanted this so much for her.”
Couples and families who had weddings and events planned at a well-known venue that abruptly closed claim they’re out thousands of dollars and aren’t being given refunds. Annette Irizarry was supposed to hold her 15-year-old daughter’s quinceañera in August at the Clearwater location and said she’s now out the $6,160 she paid. Without that money, Irizarry said she can’t afford to have her daughter’s celebration somewhere else.
