Starting this coming school year, brand-new teachers with St. Lucie Public Schools will earn an extra $1,000. Those with at least a decade of experience will get a $7,800 bump.
The pay schedule based on years of experience has been approved by both the school district’s negotiation team and the teachers’ union.
“Negotiations went relatively quickly,” said Dr. Helen Wild, the district’s chief negotiator. She said the goal was to finalize the new pay scale before teachers went home for the summer. “We wanted them to know exactly it means to them.”
Voters of St. Lucie County earlier this year approved via a mail-in ballot a special four-year tax that would be used not only to bolster teacher pay but also to better fund school safety measures.
That tax will be levied on property values and is expected to generate $22 million each of the four years – for a total of $88 million.
Per the teacher union negotiations, beginning teachers will receive their base salary plus an extra $1,000. Those with one to five years of eligible experience will get an extra $2,000. Teachers who have served for six to nine years will get an extra $5,000, while those with 10 or more years will get $7,800.
Wild told St. Lucie Voice that the amounts are in line with what other nearby districts have offered their teachers, both in hiring and retention bonuses.
Offering the same or better, St. Lucie “teachers would have no reason” to transfer to another district, she said.
“We are pleased with the collaborative effort between the St. Lucie CTA/CU [teacher union] and the school district to ensure that the referendum money will be used as presented to, and approved by, the taxpayers of St. Lucie County,” said St. Lucie CTA/CU President David Freeland in a prepared statement. “Recruiting and retaining high quality teachers in our School District has always been a priority for the CTA/CU and the funding from the referendum will help to ensure that our district is competitive with the surrounding districts.”
Attempts to reach Freeland for additional comment were unsuccessful.
Wild said the district continues to express its appreciation to the county’s voters for having approved the ballot measure. She said with the additional funding, the district can expect to keep and recruit quality teachers in an effort to continue improving student performance.
Along with using funds for teachers’ salaries, the district expects to increase its mental health programs and hire support staff.
The School Board was expected Tuesday night to approve the contract negotiations with the union.
An oversight committee will be created to ensure that the special tax revenue is in fact used as promised. A portion of the funds will be directed to the St. Lucie County Sheriff’s Office to fully fund the School Resource Deputy program at each of the county’s public – traditional and charter – schools.
Fully staffed, the SRD program costs $7 million annually. Prior to the referendum, the Sheriff’s Office had to cut the program from 43 deputies to 23 and rearrange staff to ensure at least one deputy was at each campus.
The referendum will expire at the end of the four-year term. When it does, property tax rates will drop back by 1 point, or $1 per $1,000 tax assessed value. It is possible the school district could again ask the public for its support.
Schools Superintendent Wayne Gent previously told St. Lucie Voice that it is too soon to say whether or not the district would make that request.
