The fight over teacher pay is heating up in Palm Beach County as a new report ranks Florida last in teacher salaries for the third year in a row.
Former Palm Beach County School District teachers say low pay was the final straw, forcing them to leave the state altogether for better-paying states like Texas, Alabama, and Vermont.
Kaitlyn Mouring worked for the school district’s Santaluces Community High School before moving to Fort Worth, Texas in 2024, where she now makes $20,000 more annually.
"I moved here because of the pay. The pay is so much nicer here," Mouring said. "I bought a house. I bought a five-bedroom, three-bath, beautiful home. I don’t have to worry where my gas money is coming from," Mouring said.
We've been covering concerns over teacher salaries over the last year.
Data from the National Education Association shows Florida ranks 50th in average teacher salaries, with salaries of $56,663 — $18,000 below the national average.
WPTV’s Samantha Gutierrez spoke with Andrew Spar, president of the Florida Education Association.
"We are 50th out of the 50 states in Washington D.C. for the third consecutive year," Spar said."Our teachers and staff in the state of Florida continue to struggle to pay their bills, to afford gas, to afford groceries.”
According to the Florida Education Association’s data from earlier this year, Palm Beach County ranks third in teacher vacancies, highlighting an ongoing trend of retention issues.
"I hope that Florida starts to pay their teachers more because if you really think about it, they’re the backbone of everything," Mouring said.
The school district said board members are pushing for better teacher pay this year, offering raises five times higher than what the state provided. The district added that Palm Beach County's starting salary of $53,600 is the highest among comparable local districts. They sent us a statement:
Florida's national ranking reflects decisions made at the state level about how much funding is allocated to public schools. The School Board routinely advocates in Tallahassee for increased teacher pay and goes further than the state requires. This year, the School District offered a raise of five times what the state provided. Since 2018, the School Board has asked voters to approve a 1.0 mill property tax referendum that provides teachers an average of $8,000 annual boost to their pay.
The School District's average teacher salary is $69,230, compared to the national average of $72,030. Palm Beach County's starting salary of $53,600 is the highest among comparable local districts. Over the past five school years, teachers have received cumulative salary increases of approximately 31.3%, including a 10% raise just two years ago.
"The lawmakers in the state are not really valuing the importance of public education," Spar said.
Back in December, Gov. Ron DeSantis proposed spending $1.5 billion for teacher raises, but that budget is still not approved.
"Do we want to make sure that every child gets the education they deserve and need, or are we gonna turn our backs on the next generations?" Spar said.
The school district will meet on May 6 to vote on the future of teacher salaries.
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