Florida education commissioner blames unions for teacher pay
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Florida's education commissioner is inserting himself into local salary negotiations between school districts and teachers unions, seemingly escalating the longstanding divide between the two parties.
The latest: In a memo sent to district superintendents Wednesday, Commissioner Anastasios Kamoutsas blamed "unnecessary and prolonged contract negotiations" by the unions for teachers failing to receive pay increases.
- He directed superintendents to share the memo with district teachers, saying he "will not tolerate union delay tactics" when it comes to pay.
Between the lines: In Miami-Dade County, the teachers union and the school district began bargaining earlier this month.
The other side: Antonio White, president of United Teachers of Dade, rejected the state's assertion, telling Axios the memo was "a propaganda piece" and an effort to "blame the union for the shortcomings of the state."
- White acknowledged the parties' ongoing disagreements, but said the memo was "a lot more aggressive than in the past. [Officials] have never been directed to share [state memos] with staff."
State of pay: While the memo says the state's average minimum salary in the 2023-24 school year was $49,444 — "an increase of approximately $9,400 since 2020" — White told Axios the memo references only beginning teacher pay.
- "[DeSantis] has done nothing for experienced teachers," he said.
Friction point: DeSantis has previously touted his administration's efforts to boost salaries, and the memo cites the more than $5 million the state has invested in teacher pay since 2020.
- But educators have pushed back on that number, arguing the figure is a misnomer because it gives the state credit for maintaining previous years' salary increases.
- Last year, the National Education Association ranked Florida 50th in the country for teacher pay and 16th for starting teacher pay.
When it trickles down to individual teachers, "it's about a 1% increase," White said. "The memo is disingenuous."