Pinellas County school board members to discuss boost in teacher salaries
CLEARWATER, Fla. - Pinellas teachers and instructors will see a boost in their paychecks this year thanks to a new influx of state funds.
The pay bump is part of Governor Ron DeSantis' $500 million pledge to raise the base salary for all teachers across the state to $47,500.
The plan requires each district to use 80% of allocated funds on raises for younger teachers in order to boost their salaries to or as close to the targeted base as possible. Any funds left over, along with the remaining 20% of a district's allocation, can be used to give veteran educators raises or to boost the salaries of educators, guidance counselors and pre-kindergarten teachers not included in the group required to receive the bulk of the funds.
Pinellas County Schools received $15.9 million from the state, after charter school distributions, to put towards teacher salaries.
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The Pinellas County Teachers Association and school district agreed to a plan that will raise all teachers and instructors to the new threshold, while also bringing veterans up to $47,500 or giving them a 3.3% raise, whichever is higher.
The school board is expected to approve the plan when they meet Tuesday morning.