Leon County teachers call for better pay amid stalled salary negotiations

Facing fears of having to work multiple jobs to make ends meet, Leon County teachers made one thing clear Tuesday night: "The pay is not enough."

Several members of the Leon Classroom Teachers Association attended Tuesday's school board meeting to talk about the financial shortfalls they experience with their current salaries.

"Absolutely embarrassing that I need a second job to pay my bills," one said. Another said they are "afraid of being homeless."

The outcry for "a livable wage" before the board comes a week after Leon County Schools Superintendent Rocky Hanna declared an impasse on pay negotiations with the bargaining unit, a first in over two decades. According to a district spokesperson, LCS formally filed for impasse with the state last week.

The state soon will appoint a special magistrate approved by the district and the union to intervene, investigate and make a recommendation to the board on the compensation package.

"We are going through a process, and we have let everyone know we will let the process take place," LCTA President Scott Mazur told the Tallahassee Democrat. "At the end of the day, our goal is to make sure we do our best by the people that are in the classroom."

None of the school board members responded to the teachers' statements made during the public comment section of the meeting. Board chair Laurie Cox later told the Tallahassee Democrat the district didn't feel comfortable approving more than $4 million for the salary package for budget reasons.

The district received $2 million from the state for teacher salaries and Hanna said there wasn't much more available to be offered on top of that without jeopardizing the district's fund balance.

The LCTA initially requested a $6 million salary package with the district counter offering with $4 million. In the latest session on Dec. 3, the LCTA lowered its request to $5.5 million, and the district still didn't budge on its original offer, leaving a $1.5 million gap.

The average teacher salary in the state is $53,098, placing Florida last in the nation's rankings for teacher pay, according to the National Education Association. In Leon County, the average salary is about $49,270 before taxes, according to the Florida Department of Education, making the LCS salary even lower than the state average.

"I spend weeknights being worried that my students' parents will catch me DoorDash'ing and how embarrassing that would be," said Lillian Deans, a Gretchen Everhart educator. She has taught in the district for two years and holds a master's degree.

"I would never dream of doing something different, but I might have to ... if I continue to be paid the way that I am."

Alaijah Brown covers children & families for the Tallahassee Democrat. She can be reached at ABrown1@gannett.com . Follow her on Twitter/X: @AlaijahBrown3 . 

This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Leon teachers speak on low pay after impasse declared on salary talks