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Pay for most Brevard teachers could grow more than 4 percent
By Ma Reed, Assistant Superintendent/PIO
Teachers rated “highly e ec ve” could see their pay jump by an average of $1,975 for 2017-2018 at Brevard Public Schools. Teachers rated “e ec ve” could receive $1,431 more in pay, on average.
Those increases of 4.1 percent and 3 percent, respec vely, would come from a combina on of a proposed salary raise and annual bonuses funded for three years by the Florida Legislature.
The school district proposed the raise as its “best and nal” o er at a bargaining session with the Brevard Federa on of Teachers Monday Oct. 16. However, the union did not accept that and other terms and declared an impasse.
Although smaller than the 5 percent raise the BFT once called for in nego a ons, the proposed 1.5 percent average salary increase would be the h straight annual raise for teachers. The trend:
Today, the average BPS teacher salary is $47,723. The raise proposed by the school district would have to be ra ed by the BFT membership and approved by the ve-member school board.
BUDGET PRIORITY
The proposed 1.5 percent raise comes in a year when all “new” opera ng dollars at the board’s disposal come from budget cuts to administra on and support divisions, not from growth in property taxes or money from the Legislature.
The school board’s priori es call for spending about half
of that $6.73 million on raises for teachers who have been rated e ec ve or highly e ec ve, one-third on raises for support personnel, and the remainder on strategic ini a ves to improve service to students and families.
Those strategic ini a ves include suicide-preven on programs, reopening an elementary school in Titusville, and busing for students to choice programs. The cost of the pay raise makes it the biggest budget priority for the School Board and Superintendent Desmond K. Blackburn for the coming year.
THE TREND
On average, the es mated 4,436 teachers rated “highly e ec ve” on evalua ons (about 90 percent of all faculty) would receive an average annual raise of $775. In addi on, highly e ec ve teachers will receive state bonuses of $1,200 each.
The es mated 478 teachers rated “e ec ve” (10 percent
of faculty) would receive an average annual raise of $631. E ec ve teachers also will receive state bonuses of $800. The bonuses are funded by the Florida Legislature for the next three years. Teachers rated “needs improvement” (less than 1 percent of faculty) would receive a cost-of-living raise of $200 but are not eligible for bonuses.
The addi onal pay isn’t the only bene t Brevard teachers have received through agreements between the School Board and BFT. Outside of this year’s collec ve-bargaining, the par es have agreed to:
· Eliminate me-consuming “professional grown plan” por ons of evalua ons to give teachers more me for instruc on or planning.
· More exibility to carry-over unused “comp me” from year to year.
In addi on, BPS this year opened three health clinics where teachers and sta can receive free primary and urgent care.
LOBBYING FOR BETTER
The modest salary raise in the proposal represents a di cult compromise in a school district where teachers, administrators and school board members all generally believe that educators should earn more.
Although this year’s proposed 1.5 percent raise would be BPS’ h in a row, the Consumer Price Index for the Southeastern United States increased 2.5 percent for 2016-2017.
That’s one reason why Superintendent Blackburn, school board members and BPS lobbyists have pressed for stronger school funding with state legislators. In Tallahassee, they have argued for leaving property tax rates the same so
that school revenue can recover as the economy grows. They have pursued adequate transporta on funding,
which would free millions of dollars for other priori es.
Unlike in some other states, the Florida Legislature controls tax rates and revenue for all 67 school districts. For 2017-2018, it decided to lower the property tax rate for school opera ons to generate the same revenue from exis ng proper es.
· 2013-14: 4.53% raise
· 2014-15: 2.12%
· 2015-16: 5.1%
· 2016-17: 1.3%
· 2017-18: 1.5%
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