This issue, also known as salary compression, has been a chronic issue plaguing Orange County schools and schools in other Florida districts. According to the Florida Education Association, a statewide teachers union, average teacher pay has fallen nearly 13 percent<\/a> over the last decade, when adjusted for inflation.<\/p>\n \u201cEducators aren\u2019t asking for riches \u2014 they\u2019re asking for the chance to build a stable life, to afford to live in the communities they serve, and to lift up the next generation,\u201d FEA president Andrew Spar, a former music teacher, said in a statement. \u201cThey want to be able to teach without worrying about making ends meet, and to give every student the attention and care they deserve.\u201d<\/p>\n According to the Economic Policy Institute, a national research think tank, Florida teachers make about 22 percent less<\/a> than their similarly educated peers in other professions.<\/p>\n Local union leaders in Orange County \u2014 home to one the nation\u2019s most cost-burdened metros<\/a> \u2014 are aware of how far behind teachers feel when it comes to addressing the region\u2019s higher cost of living and educators\u2019 struggle to make ends meet. \u201cThis agreement represents an important step forward, but it\u2019s not the finish line,\u201d Clinton McCracken, president of the Orange County Classroom Teachers Association, said in a statement about the new union contract.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cOur members deserve pay that reflects the true value they bring to our schools and communities,\u201d he argued.\u00a0<\/p>\n The union initially fought for guarantees on functioning air-conditioning systems in classrooms, but that proposal was withdrawn.<\/p>\n The Orange County CTA, first established<\/a> in 1975 as one of the state\u2019s earliest public sector unions, represents nearly 14,000 teachers and instructional personnel throughout Orange County Public Schools, the eighth-largest school district in the U.S.<\/p>\n According to the union, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis\u2019 education budget<\/a> this year only allocated enough money for a 0.67 percent raise, so union leaders are proud they managed to negotiate an agreement with the district offering more. The FEA, their parent union, estimates the state budget approved for teacher raises this year \u2014 totaling $101 million \u2014 ultimately amounts to just an extra $20<\/a> added to each teacher\u2019s paycheck.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re proud of what we\u2019ve achieved, and we\u2019re even more committed to what comes next,\u201d said McCracken, an art teacher for more than 20 years. \u201cWe\u2019ll continue moving forward, stronger together.\u201d<\/p>\n In addition to pay raises, the agreement reached between the union and the Orange County school district also offers guaranteed 30-minute lunches for teachers, protection against unfounded claims made by students about a teacher, and guidance on how to navigate the use of artificial intelligence tools in classrooms. <\/p>\n The union initially fought for guarantees on functioning air-conditioning systems in classrooms \u2014 considering the dangers of malfunctioning AC during Florida\u2019s brutal summers \u2014 but that proposal was later withdrawn, McCracken confirmed.<\/p>\n The approval of the new union contract comes amid a broader attack on public education<\/a> under the Trump administration and, closer to home, an anticipated district budget shortfall of about $44 million, according to a district spokesperson, tied to a steep drop in student enrollment.<\/p>\n The Orange County school district projected a loss of about 6,600 students from the public school district this fall, representing a loss that\u2019s more than double district leaders\u2019 initial estimate. About 2,500 of the students lost this year, tellingly, were from immigrant families, the district spokesperson added.<\/p>\n Neither the union, nor the district, directly addressed whether this drop in enrollment affected wage negotiations for school staff this year when contacted by the Weekly.<\/p>\n Pay negotiations have been more or less fruitful for unionized teachers in other parts of the state. Teachers in Pinellas County, for instance, approved a roughly 1 percent raise <\/a>this year, the Tampa Bay Times reported, on top of a 5 to 9 percent raise teachers received this summer as a result of a local ballot referendum<\/a> approved by Pinellas County voters in 2024. Lee Bryant, president of the Pinellas Classroom Teachers Association, admitted it\u2019s a \u201ctough year\u201d for wage talks.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re just overstaffed, under-populated with students. It\u2019s a difficult, difficult year, and the fact that the state offers educators 0.7 percent is insulting, and it should be insulting to everybody who supports public education,\u201d Bryant told the Times. \u201cEven worse, they offered nothing for anyone else \u2014 support staff, bus drivers.\u201d<\/p>\n Teachers in Leon County, meanwhile, recently voted down a tentative agreement<\/a> their district reached with the union, after teachers learned the district\u2019s offer would only give them an additional $40 in pay per month.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen you work as hard as we do, and we do work very hard, it\u2019s disappointing that you don\u2019t feel like they really have your back. They think they do, but they don\u2019t really,\u201d Susan Vinson, a 30-year teacher, told<\/a> the Tallahassee Democrat after a bargaining session last week.<\/p>\n The Florida Legislature and DeSantis approved a sweeping law (SB 256) in 2023 designed to get rid of the state\u2019s teachers unions<\/a>, adding logistical barriers that make it more difficult for public employee unions to remain certified. Although the law has wiped out more than 100 other types of bargaining units \u2014 including all of the state\u2019s adjunct faculty unions in higher education \u2014 all of the state\u2019s K-12 teachers unions and unions representing full-time university faculty so far have nonetheless managed to remain intact.<\/p>\n Orlando\u2019s daily dose of what matters. Subscribe to The Daily Weekly.<\/p>\n Related Stories<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t \n\t\t\t\t\tThe language is similar to oaths taken by lawyers, doctors, and public officials\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t![\"Florida](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/shutterstock_1073388047.jpg\")
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\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a><\/p>\n![\"Gov.](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/1761666491_687_DisneyEntrance_shutterstock_2552969357.jpg\")
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