WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — The Palm Beach County School Board on Wednesday is expected to approve an agreement between the School District of Palm Beach County and the Classroom Teachers Association which will result in teacher pay raises.
The bump in pay will be retroactive to July of last year.
According to the agreement, the starting salary for new teachers will go up from about $41,000 to $47,500.
The increase is part of a new state law increasing the starting pay for teachers.
Veteran teachers or those already making $47,500 will see a 3.5% pay raise, after the school district kicked in additional funds. The raise from state funds for veteran teachers was expected to be 1.7%. The school district pitched in the additional 1.8%.
In a statement on its website, Classroom Teachers Association President Justin Katz said this represents one of the better agreements in the state for veteran teachers who were left out of the new state law. He said the negotiations were completed just before winter break.
The agreement also involves future negotiations for teachers to get bereavement leave, something they do not currently have.
The item is scheduled for a vote during the school board’s special meeting on Wednesday afternoon. The meeting will begin after a series of other sessions that begin at 2:00 p.m.
The impact on the district’s budget for fiscal year 2021 is expected to be $44.5 million.
You can read the teacher pay raise agreement by clicking here.
