![\"United](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/MIA_SN1_9854.JPG\" "\\"United")
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United Teachers of Dade President Antonio White, center, joined by United Teachers of Dade First Vice President Danielle Boyer, left, and United Teachers of Dade Treasurer Mindy Grimes-Festge, speaks about the collective bargaining for the contract as well as the referendum renewal during a town hall meeting moderated by former Florida State Senator Dwight Bullard, far left, at Miami Southridge Senior High School in Miami, Florida, on Wednesday, Nov. 5, 2025.<\/p>\n
SAM NAVARRO<\/p>\n
Special for the Miami Herald<\/p>\n
The union representing public school teachers in Miami-Dade has agreed to a new contract with the school district<\/a>, including modest raises.<\/p>\n The new contract was finalized earlier this month between leaders of the United Teachers of Dade and the administration of new Miami-Dade Superintendent Rafael Villalobos.<\/p>\n Teachers with 10 years or more of experience in the classroom will get $2,000 raises. Teachers with fewer than 10 years on the job get $1,662 in raises. Most of the money for the raises will come from a voter-approved property tax<\/a> referendum that is on the ballot for renewal this year.<\/p>\n Though the referendum funds are locked in for this year, some teachers are bracing for pay cuts if November\u2019s referendum effort fails. One 47-year-old teacher told the Herald she would likely lose her home<\/a> if that came to pass.<\/p>\n Some teachers have expressed displeasure online<\/a> at the relatively low raises in the contract, especially given Miami\u2019s rising cost of living. According to UTD President Antonio White, the district was constrained in how they could address the topic of raises for its more than 15,000 teachers.<\/p>\n The state only provided pay bumps of $1,142 for teachers with 10 or more years of experience, which White said “wasn\u2019t going to satisfy anybody\u2019s pocket.\u201d<\/p>\n So those teachers got a slice of the referendum funding to bump their raises up to $2,000. For less-experienced teachers, their more modest raises came completely from referendum funding.<\/p>\n But base starting pay remained the same, $51,150, which is determined by the state and has been a constant sticking point for the union.<\/p>\n \u201cThere was nothing to change [base pay] with. Base pay is a function of the state primarily. We use add-ons for the referendum, but they didn\u2019t provide any funding for base pay. They\u2019re not really interested in that… Now, it\u2019s a matter of continuing to pit one group against the other. I mean, it\u2019s just shameful when they have so much surplus in the state of Florida, but they commit none to traditional public education,\u201d White said.<\/p>\n Before adding referendum funds, the base pay for teachers working 10 months out of the year \u2014 as most teachers do \u2014 can range from $50,150 to $85,303. With referendum funds added, salaries can go up as much as an extra $20,000.<\/p>\n In 2026, Florida ranked second-lowest among all U.S. states<\/a> in average teacher salary at $56,663, according to a National Education Association study. The state\u2019s average starting teacher pay of $49,435 ranked much more competitively at 19th among all states. The referendum pay differential is necessary to keep Miami-Dade teacher salaries more competitive given South Florida\u2019s high cost of living, according to the superintendent.<\/p>\n One item that the union highlighted as a win was that there was no increase in healthcare costs in the new contract.<\/p>\n \u201cThe beauty of this contract was in the healthcare,\u201d White said. \u201cWhen you compare that across the state, we were in a much better position than everybody else for that. We had no structural changes, only improvements to the healthcare this go-around.\u201d<\/p>\n In order to fully kick into effect, the contract must be ratified in an in-person paper ballot vote by school employees covered by the union. That election will take place next Wednesday, Oct. 28.<\/p>\n Shrinking district<\/p>\n The school district was negotiating with the teachers\u2019 union amid enormous budget concerns.<\/p>\n With enrollment declines<\/a> \u2014 this year even worse than projected \u2014 funding from the state\u2019s per pupil formula is projected to flatline, putting pressure on districts across the state. Miami-Dade\u2019s recently passed budget for this year<\/a> reflects that drop.<\/p>\n This year is the first on record where the state is set to send more money to private school vouchers than to public schools through its education funding formula.<\/p>\n Miami-Dade\u2019s overall enrollment this year fell below what the district initially forecast. Last year, officials had to make budget cuts in the middle of the school year to address the problem.<\/p>\n The district already closed or consolidated nine different public schools<\/a> in response to the financial squeeze. The school board recently OK\u2019d limited layoffs<\/a>, including of classroom teachers, in response to charter school organization Success Academy\u2019s entry into Miami.<\/p>\n