Broward schools, teachers union reach tentative pay raise agreement for current academic year

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – Broward County Public Schools and the Broward Teachers Union reached a tentative agreement on Monday to increase new and existing teacher salaries for the current school year.

According an announcement, Broward teacher base salaries will increase to $50,266. The current base salary for newly hired teachers is $48,925, regardless of initial past experience.

“Our District is currently engaged in difficult funding conversations, but these base salary increases reflect the School Board’s and my commitment to increasing the salary of all our educators,” Superintendent Dr. Peter B. Licata said.

Specifically, teachers on a grandfathered salary schedule will see a 3.65% increase.

Instructors also will be evaluated on a “Pay for Performance” schedule. The scale gives a 4.56% increase to teachers rated “Highly Effective” and a 3.42% increase for teachers rated “Effective.”

“We’re not yet where we want to be in compensating our employees, but I am thankful to the bargaining teams for arriving at this agreement, which will put more money in the pockets of our teachers ,” Licata added.

Broward Teachers Union President Anne Fusco, in optimism from the school board, expressed raising teacher salaries exponentially in the future.

“This is the beginning to moving all teachers’ salaries to $100,000, as Allen Zeman has said time and again,” Fusco said. “We felt a 7% raise would have moved us closer, but the District is certain they could only offer the 3.9% pot of money, which is equivalent to about $37 million. We expect that next year’s negotiations will move us to Dr. Zeman’s goal.”

Bargaining groups also signed a Memorandum of Understanding allowing 10 planning days for the 2024-25 academic year.

Of which, five days would take place at the beginning of the school year with an additional early release day on Feb. 14, 2025.

The Broward County School Board is expected to take up the measure this month pending ratification by bargaining unit members.

It will go into effect if approved retroactive to July 1, 2023.