PALM BEACH COUNTY, Fla. — It’s been a long time coming — and a hard fight — but Palm Beach County teachers finally got the news they’ve been waiting for.
On Wednesday, the Palm Beach County School Board voted 6-1 in favor of approving a 3.5% pay raise for the district’s educators, ending months of negotiations, tense meetings and community rallies.
For many teachers, it’s not just about the numbers on their paychecks — it’s about validation, dignity and relief.
“You made a lot of new teachers happy, and you know what? Many will stay now,” said Stacy Tepper, who teaches at LC Swaine Middle School.
Tepper is no newcomer to education — she has 40 years of teaching experience, 29 of them here in Palm Beach County.
She’s weathered budget cuts, policy shifts and changing classrooms. Yet this week’s vote felt different.
Just one day before the board met, Tepper spoke with me at WPTV’s Let’s Hear It community event in Royal Palm Beach, describing the stark reality faced by many educators.
“People are starving, people are having to work 2, 3, 4 jobs, people are exhausted,” she said bluntly.
Her words cut to the heart of why this pay raise matters. Teachers aren’t just shaping young minds — they’re juggling multiple jobs, struggling to pay their bills, and trying to hold onto their passion for education.
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When I asked Tepper how she would celebrate, her answer was simple but telling.
“I think I might go out to eat, how about that? Hehehe, I can afford it now,” she chuckled.
It’s a modest plan, but for many educators who have been stretching every dollar, even small luxuries can feel monumental.
The Big Question: When Will Teachers See the Money?
Beyond the applause and relief, there’s one question every teacher is asking: When will the money actually hit their paychecks?
To get answers, I went straight to Gordan Longhofer, president of the Palm Beach County Classroom Teachers Association, who has been deeply involved in negotiations.
“Assuming everything goes to plan, when will the money start coming in for teachers?” I asked him directly.
“Hopefully, as I've said, at the end of the year, very beginning of summer,” Longhofer responded.
His estimate comes with a caveat — there’s still a ratification process ahead. Teachers will soon vote on whether to approve the raise, and if that passes, the deal will be finalized with the district and payroll department.
“This is really it, we want to get this done so the teachers have this money in their pockets,” Longhofer said.
Longhofer confirmed that teachers should see the ratification ballot before the end of the school year.
Retro Pay — A Lump Sum Bonus for Missed Months
Because this year’s salary agreement didn’t happen before school started — something that normally should be settled — teachers will also get retroactive pay for the months they’ve been working without the raise.
That means a lump sum check will be coming, compensating teachers for the difference in pay since the start of the school year, Longhofer says.
“The impasse process actually caused us to stretch out during the entire school year this year and that’s regrettable,” Longhofer admitted. “But clearly teachers understand that sometimes you have to play a long process to get the best result and that's what you see.”
Looking Ahead: Next Year’s Negotiations Start Soon
Even as this deal moves toward finalization, the teachers union is already looking toward next year’s salary negotiations, which will begin toward the end of summer — once the state legislature sets education funding.
Every year, these talks happen before school starts, and the outcome depends heavily on how much support comes from Tallahassee.
The Lone "No" Vote — and the Cost of Raises
The lone dissenting vote Wednesday came from school board member Gloria Branch, who emphasized that her vote was not about opposing educators, but about budget realities.
“I didn’t vote against it because I don’t like teachers, that’s not it at all. I don’t want to lose anybody,” Branch said during the meeting. “This is serious stuff, we better be out there promoting this referendum in November, all we’re doing is in-fighting.”
Her concern stems from the district’s plan to lay off more than 250 employees to afford the raises — including 192 teachers, 19 administrators, and 43 office assistants.
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Unified Call for State-Level Change
Despite differences in opinion about the raise itself, both teachers and the board agree on one thing: long-term change in teacher pay will only happen if more funding flows from the state level.
The bigger battle — securing permanent, equitable pay — will play out in November’s referendum and next year’s negotiations.
That’s why educators are urging the community to get involved, to vote, and to push for legislative action.
“We’ll be out there, we will be out there. I understood exactly what the board was saying, and they were right, and we have to do our part too,” Tepper said. “They will help us and we will help them, together Team Palm Beach.”
What’s next: Teachers should keep an eye out for the ratification ballot by the end of the school year according to the CTA. While the exact timeline is still uncertain, if approved, Longhofer expects teachers will see both their new pay rate and a retroactive lump sum some time this summer.
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