ROYAL PALM BEACH, Fla. — WPTV created a space for teachers, support staff and parents on Tuesday to make your voices heard about a battle over teacher pay in Palm Beach County.
It was held at Veterans Park in Royal Palm Beach for our latest Let's Hear It event, allowing you to share your concerns about teacher pay ahead of the final impasse hearing Wednesday.
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Palm Beach County parent Christopher Butler called on the district to better support its teachers ahead of Wednesday's hearing.
"The cost of living is expensive for all of us," Butler said.
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Butler said the wishlist for teachers is long and gets longer each year, and that teachers are working multiple jobs to make ends meet.
"We aren't fully supporting them as a school district; it's time to speak up," Butler said.
Butler's two children — one an 8th-grade school president, the other also involved in student council — are a testament to the influence teachers have, he said. Butler said it's the teachers who put that seed in them that made them want to be in student council, and that teachers support what students want to be when they grow up.
Butler warned that the district risks losing teachers — and students — if the issue is not addressed.
"Florida teacher pay is 50th in the nation, the school district is an A-rated district. We need to give our teachers A-rated pay," Butler said.
"To keep it the best county, we have to keep our backbone. The backbone is the teachers," Butler said.
Butler said he hopes media coverage of Wednesday's hearing will lead the superintendent to reconsider.
"Hoping tomorrow, the media coverage will lead the superintendent to realize they made a bad call. He hopes that tomorrow the teachers get the 3.5% increase that they earn and deserve," Butler said.
He closed with a message to the community.
"To all of the teachers, for all of the parents, we're all stakeholders of this community, and we all stand with the teachers," Butler said.
Veronica Kivela, a Social Studies teacher at Santaluces Community High School, said she is constantly worried about making ends meet, working three jobs — sometimes four — leaving little time for herself, her family, or her students.
Kivela said her students deserve more of her time, but the financial pressure makes that difficult.
"I love it. I have a passion for teaching," Kivela said.
Kivela said seeing the difference she makes in students' lives keeps her going, but she wants the school board to recognize what teachers are worth.
"We deserve this. You constantly tell us that we are grade A teachers," Kivela said. "It takes a village to raise children."
Kivela said teachers are told how well they represent the state of Florida, and that all they want is fairness.
"It would be so much easier to teach if I didn't have to worry about how I'm going to make ends meet," Kivela said.
A Palm Beach County educator with 28 years of experience said teachers need a pay raise not just financially, but for morale. The teacher, who has spent her entire career at the same school, said everything is different from when she started and that teachers are overwhelmed and feeling unappreciated.
"It's time to do right by the teachers. We understand it may hurt, but it's what needs to happen at this point in time," she said.
She said she is feeling optimistic ahead of Wednesday's vote.
"I think we have shown that the money is there, that the community is behind us," she said.
She carried a double-sided sign at the event — one side reading "Respect us, pay us," and the other reading "Apples don't pay us."
"I have never seen anything like this, but I am so proud of my union for standing up for teachers," she said.
A group of students from Jupiter High School came out with a teacher from the same school. They were showing their support for teachers all over Palm Beach County, holding a sign that says "Teachers give 100%, don't they deserve 3.5%"?
Read more of WPTV's related coverage below:
Let's Hear It
'People are really passionate about this': Students push for teacher raises
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Palm Beach County teachers dispute rejected pay raise and hearing
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Palm Beach County superintendent rejects 3.5% teacher pay increase
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'Struggling ... to feed myself': Teachers cite low pay for leaving district
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Palm Beach County teachers demand higher pay at school board meeting
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Jupiter High School students petition for higher teacher pay raises
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Florida ranks last in teacher pay as educators leave for other states
We want to be your voice and help you find solutions.
While we hold our monthly Let's Hear It meet-ups, we know many are not able to attend, but we still want to hear from you and start taking action to get you answers. You can e-mail us at LetsHearIt@wptv.com.
