‘People don’t want to be teachers anymore’: Florida among worst in nation for teacher pay
The average teacher pay in Florida ranks in the bottom 10 of all 50 states, and qualified teachers are turning to other careers, leaving dozens of teacher vacancies in Central Florida counties.
Rachel Bardes walked away from her dream job as a middle school teacher in Orange County earlier this year.
“It wasn’t an easy decision, but it was the right decision for me. It's just become a life that’s less and less sustainable,” Bardes said.
Bardes and dozens of teachers have recently quit and they are blaming low pay and burdensome workloads.
Gov. Ron DeSantis recently proposed raising starting pay for teachers to $47,500.
In current negotiations, Orange County teachers, whose average pay is about $49,000 a year, were offered a one-time bonus just over $1,200.
Union leader Wendy Doromal balked at the offer.
"We see Orange County, instead of wanting to give teachers a real raise, they want to give them a bonus. That's not going to be the profession that someone wants to stay in,” Doromal said.
The teacher exodus, combined with a dramatic drop in students studying to become teachers, has led to a rise in teacher vacancies.
Teacher vacancies in Central Florida
Osceola County: 63
Volusia County: 48
Orange County: 34
Seminole County: 16
Educators say any vacancy means a class is being covered by a substitute who may not be certified to teach.
“We need a qualified and certified teacher in every classroom and every child deserves that,” Doromal said.
Doromal claims there are too many substitute teachers being made permanent as their assignment to a class drags on, but the school district said that’s not true.
Administrators with Orange County Public Schools said they do not use permanent substitutes to fill teacher vacancies. They claim instead, they put an instructional coach who’s a staff member into such positions.
Education advocates say regardless of who fills a teacher vacancy, students suffer when their teacher is on temporary assignment.
How to recruit and retain certified teachers
Greg White heads up teacher recruitment for Osceola schools and says his biggest challenges is the negative perception about teaching.
“Sometimes, teaching isn’t really held up as an option that’s vitally important to the community,” White said.
Bardes agrees with White, and said teachers need more than just pay raises, they need better support and more respect.
“We need to remember what public education is for, and public education is the backbone of our society, and teachers are the heart of society and we’re hurting our teachers, which ultimately means we’re hurting our kids,” Doromal said.
The movement to demand better wages and support for teachers has gained new momentum across the country. In Florida, it’s illegal for teachers to strike, but teachers unions promise increased participation in marches and demonstrations with the hope of sending a strong message to lawmakers in Tallahassee.