WEST PALM BEACH. FLA. — As we celebrate Teacher Appreciation Week, a new report is examining how that admiration is not necessarily reflected in educators' paychecks.
The National Education Association reported Florida's average teacher pay has plummeted compared with other states, with only West Virginia paying less. Last year, Florida came in at No. 48 for average teacher salary. This year, the Sunshine State ranks 50th out of all 50 states plus Washington, D.C.
SPECIAL COVERAGE: Education
According to the report, the national average public school teacher salary in 2022-2023 increased 4.1% from the previous year to $69,544. It is projected to grow a further 3.1% in 2023-24. But the report also shows the numbers are not keeping up with inflation. Adjusted for inflation, on average, teachers are making 5% less than they did 10 years ago.
The report puts Florida's average teacher salary at $53,098, a 3.6% increase from the previous year. That's less than what it considers the Florida minimum living wage at $58,970. West Virginia's pay is at $52,870.
When it comes to starting salary, Florida fares better, ranked at No. 16 with a starting salary of $47,178. In Palm Beach County, the starting salary is $51,500.
Andrew Spar, president of the Florida Education Association, said: "We're 16th in the nation for starting pay and then we're 50th in the nation for average teacher pay. No other state in this nation has that dramatic of a drop off which really goes to show how undervalued our experienced teachers are here in the state of Florida."
In 2010, Spar said, Florida was ranked 36th in the nation for average teacher pay. He said that's "when Florida ranked 36th in average teacher pay in the nation. There were no laws that governed teacher pay. It was what we negotiated between teachers and the districts. Now we have over 20 laws that govern teacher pay and those laws clearly impact teachers with experience meaning the longer you work in a district, the smaller your pay increases are."
Spar would like to see those laws change and see the state legislature pour more money into public education.
"We can't keep diverting dollars away from our public schools and expect them to attract and keep the teachers who we need to educate every child," Spar said. "I, as an educator, am extremely angry that this state has failed in their fiduciary responsibility to take care of the future of this state and our children."
These challenges won't deter some future educators from getting into the classroom.
At Palm Beach Lakes High School, salutatorian Torian Watson plans to become a teacher. She is part of the school's Early Childhood Teacher Academy.
"Looking through a child's eyes at the world is one of the most engaging experiences ever. You get to see things you never saw before," she said.
Watson is one of several Palm Beach County graduating seniors signing a "teacher first priority promissory letter" with the district.
After graduating from college with a bachelor's degree and meeting state certification requirements, she'll be first priority to get a teaching position in the district. It is just one way the school district is working to grow their own teachers.
"I think they are securing the future and securing good people in our schools, good teachers," Watson said. "That's a nice thing to have, knowing that you can always come back home for a job. That's the most beautiful thing. Community is very important and Palm Beach County has given so much to me, I'd like to give back to them.
"Pay and struggles aside, this is a place where a lot of citizens, people are nurtured and grow. This is where they learn, this is where we push out better people of tomorrow so if I could be a part of that? Oh most definitely, any day."
To read the full report on teacher pay, visit the NEA website.
