TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WCTV) – Most classroom teachers in Leon County won’t be getting a raise this school year after the Leon County School Board approved a tight $615 million budget.
Only about 42% of teachers in Leon County Schools will receive a pay increase, with raises going to veteran teachers who have at least 10 years of experience.
Teachers voiced their frustrations during Tuesday night’s school board meeting.
“We are tired, tired of working many jobs to make ends meet, tired of sacrificing our health, family and relationships, tired of signing up for extra roles and responsibilities just to bring home a few extra dollars each month,” said teacher Marcy Brower.
Another teacher, Jonah Mundy, added, “I’m greatly disappointed by the idea of pay raises not being made to teachers. I just want to let y’all know that many, many teachers here are struggling.”
Superintendent Rocky Hanna said he’s also disappointed by the budget and the lack of raises.
“No one cares more about our teachers than I do, but I can’t put our district in financial jeopardy by overextending our resources, and unfortunately the state of Florida is not funding public education as it should,” Hanna said. “I wish our teachers more and our support staff more, but our budget is in a wreck right now.”
Hanna said the state only allocated about $1.5 million this year for teachers with 10 or more years of experience. He said that funding does not include positions such as media specialists, guidance counselors, school psychologists and others.
Scott Mazur, president of the Leon Classroom Teachers Association, said the union will continue advocating for better pay for educators.
“We’re not stopping. We understand that there may be some limitations, but to just pack up and that’s not what our responsibility is. Our responsibility is to advocate for the educators,” Mazur said.
Mazur said the association will continue pushing for a local referendum that would increase the millage rate to help fund teacher salaries on the upcoming ballot.
According to the National Education Association, Florida ranks 50th in the country for teacher pay. Leon County currently ranks 44th out of Florida’s 67 counties for teacher pay.
School leaders say if the millage referendum passes, Leon County could move from 44th to 11th in the state for teacher pay.
To keep up with the latest news as it develops, follow WCTV on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, Nextdoor and X (Twitter).
Have a news tip or see an error? Write to us here. Please include the article’s headline in your message.
Be the first to see all the biggest headlines by downloading the WCTV News app. Click here to get started.
Copyright 2026 WCTV. All rights reserved.