Pay Disparities For Educators

>> FLORIDA LAWMAKERS WILL NOW TURN TO THE UNRESOLVED STATE BUDGET DIRECTLY IMPACTED BY THE LACK OF A BUDGET SALARIES FOR SCHOOL. TEACHERS FOR THE 3RD YEAR IN A ROW, FLORIDA RANKS 50TH IN THE NATION FOR AVERAGE TEACHER PAY ACCORDING TO THE 2026 NATIONAL EDUCATION ASSOCIATION ESTIMATES AND RANKINGS DATA REPORT TEACHERS IN THE STATE MAKE AN AVERAGE OF $56,000 EVERY YEAR. THAT'S A PAY GAP OF $0.78 TO THE DOLLAR COMPARED TO OTHER EDUCATION PROFESSIONALS SO WHAT IMPACT IS THIS WAGE DISPARITY HAVING ON SCHOOLS ACROSS THE STATE? JOINING US NOW TO TALK ABOUT >> THE LATEST REPORT, ANDREW SPAR, THE FLORIDA EDUCATION ASSOCIATION, PRESIDENT MR. SPOHR, THANK YOU SO VERY MUCH FOR JOINING US TODAY. >> THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME, JENNIFER. APPRECIATE BEING HERE. >> CAN YOU FIRST EXPLAIN HOW THIS DATA WAS GATHERED FOR THIS ANNUAL REPORT THAT REALLY SHOWS A DISMAL RANKING FOR FLORIDA TEACHERS ONCE AGAIN. >> THE NATIONAL EDUCATION ASSOCIATION, WHICH IS ONE OF OUR AFFILIATES AT THE NATIONAL LEVEL FOR THE FLORIDA EDUCATION ASSOCIATION GOES AROUND TO EVERY STATE AND ACTUALLY ASKED THE STATE DEPARTMENTS OF EDUCATION FOR THIS INFORMATION AND THEN SIMPLY COMPARES THAT ACROSS THE NATION AND FLORIDA RANKS 50TH OUT OF THE 50 STATES AND WASHINGTON, D.C., FOR THE 3RD YEAR IN A ROW FOR AVERAGE TEACHER PAY. THAT'S DOWN FROM 36 AND THE NATION BACK ABOUT 12 YEARS AGO. >> SO THE BRIGHT SPOT WE'RE NOT DEAD LAST SECOND TO THE LAST. TO YOUR POINT, >> YEAH, WE'RE WE'RE SECOND TO LAST. BUT HERE'S THE REALITY OF WHAT IT MEANS IN OUR SCHOOLS. IT MEANS OUR DISTRICTS HAVE A HARD TIME FINDING AND KEEPING TEACHERS AND STAFF IN OUR SCHOOLS. WE HAVE THAT CONSTANT TURNOVER. WHAT DOES THAT MEAN FOR STUDENTS? IT MEANS THEY MAYBE IN A CLASSROOM THAT DOESN'T HAVE A FULLY CERTIFIED CREDENTIALED TEACHER IN THE CLASSROOM. IT ALSO MAY MEAN THAT THEIR TEACHER LEAVES IN THE MIDDLE OF THE YEAR BECAUSE THEY'RE TIRED OF BEING BEATEN DOWN IN A STATE THAT DOESN'T VALUE PUBLIC EDUCATION AND NOT BEING PAID ENOUGH THAT THEY CAN AFFORD THEIR BILLS JUST LIKE EVERYONE ELSE. >> WHY IS THERE SUCH AN EXTREME DISPARITY? BECAUSE YOU HAVE ON THE HIGH END, CALIFORNIA TEACHERS MAKING IN THE 6 FIGURES. SAME WITH NEW YORK WAS ALMOST IN THE 6 FIGURES AND THEN IT REALLY GOES DOWN TO THE NUTS MID 50'S FOR MISSISSIPPI, LOUISIANA AND FLORIDA. WHY IS THERE THIS BIG DISPARITY? >> WELL, SOME OF IT HAS TO DO WITH WHETHER OR NOT STATES ARE REALLY GOING TO INVEST IN PUBLIC SCHOOLS. AND SOME OF IT HAS TO DO WITH COST OF P ASLEEP. BUT WHEN YOU LOOK AT THE COST OF LIVING IN FLORIDA, HOMEOWNERSHIP CONTINUES TO GET MORE AND MORE EXPENSIVE AS HOMEOWNERS INSURANCE IS GETTING OUT OF CONTROL. RENTS ARE SKYROCKETING, ESPECIALLY IN THE FORT MYERS AREA. WE'RE SEEING RENTS GOING UP AT AN ALARMING RATE. HEALTH CARE COSTS AND FLORIDA ARE HIGHER THAN ANY OTHER STATE. SO IT'S REALLY DIFFICULT TO BE ABLE TO GO TO THE DOCTOR CAN AFFORD IT. WE'RE SEEING GAS PRICES GOING UP, GROCERIES GOING UP. AND THAT'S WHY WE'RE SEEING TEACHERS LEAVE THE PROFESSION. IT'S ALSO WHY SO MANY OF THEM WORK A SECOND OR 3RD JOB AS THIS REPORT POINTS OUT AS WELL. >> I NOTED THAT TEACHER SALARIES HAVE RISEN IN FLORIDA. THEY'VE GONE UP. I THINK IT'S SAID ABOUT 3.5% DO YOU SEE THAT AS A TREND IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION? >> NOT AT ALL. WHEN YOU LOOK AT THE ACTUAL TIME THAT GOVERNOR DESANTIS HAS BEEN IN OFFICE OVER HIS 8 YEARS, SALARIES HAVE GONE UP ABOUT 14%. SO LESS THAN 2% A YEAR. SO WHILE THIS YEAR SOUGHT A 3% BUMP, LOOK AT WHAT THE COST OF LIVING IS. LOOK AT HOW MUCH MORE WE'RE PAYING AT THE GAS PUMP RIGHT NOW. IT'S NOT ENOUGH TO MAKE ENDS MEET, ESPECIALLY WHEN TEACHER PAY IS SO FAR BEHIND THE REST OF THE NATION IN MAKING SURE THAT WE'RE ABLE TO RECRUIT THE BEST TEACHERS IN THE STATE OF FLORIDA. WE MUST DO BETTER. >> AND WHAT IS THE ACTUAL AVERAGE FOR FLORIDA? WHAT DID THIS REPORT SHOW? >> SO THIS REPORT SHOWS THAT THE AVERAGE IS A LITTLE OVER $50,000 A YEAR. I THINK CLOSING IN ON $56,000 A YEAR. AND THAT'S NOT ENOUGH FOR PEOPLE WHO HAVE BEEN WORKING IN THE PROFESSION FOR 10 OR 15 OR EVEN 20 YEARS. YOU KNOW, SOME OF THE BIGGEST NUMBERS WE'RE PEOPLE LEAVING THE PROFESSION, OUR TEACHERS WHO HAVE 15, 2025 YEARS OF EXPERIENCE WHO ARE LEAVING BEFORE RETIREMENT. AND THIS AGAIN IS IMPACTING THE ABILITY FOR OUR STUDENTS TO GET THE EDUCATION THEY DESERVE AND NEED. AND WE'RE SEEING THAT AS WELL IN SOME OF THE DATA COMING OUT, EVEN AT THE NATIONAL LEVEL SAT SCORES AND FLORIDA ARE DOWN THE NABE SCORES. THE NATIONALISTS IS A HUGE OCCASION ASSESSMENT PROGRAM. THOSE SCORES ARE DOWN. THAT'S THE NATION REPORT CARD. IT'S PROBLEMATIC WHEN YOU START REALLY LOOKING AT THE FACT THAT WE WANT TO MAKE SURE WE HAVE WORLD-CLASS SCHOOLS IN FLORIDA AND WE WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT OUR CONSTITUTIONAL REQUIREMENT TO EDUCATE EVERY CHILD AT A HIGH LEVEL IS MATT AND FLORIDA'S NOT MEETING THAT RIGHT NOW. AND TO BE CLEAR, THAT AVERAGE IS THAT IT'S AN AVERAGE. IT'S NOT ENTRY LEVEL, CORRECT. WE'RE TALKING ABOUT THE MID 50'S FOR. >> TEACHERS WITH ALL KINDS OF EXPERIENCE. >> THAT'S RIGHT. AND EVEN WHEN YOU LOOK AT THE ENTRY LEVEL, IT'S NOT THAT FAR BEHIND IT. AND THAT'S ONE OF THE ISSUES WE'VE HAD WITH. GOVERNOR DESANTIS IS PLAN. YOU KNOW, BEGINNING TEACHER PAY HAD RISEN PRETTY HIGH, BUT IT'S ACTUALLY DOWN 2 SPOTS IN THIS PROGRAM FROM LAST YEAR. AND THIS THIS REPORT FROM LAST YEAR. SO AGAIN, WE'RE SEEING AN EVEN NOW BEGINNING TEACHER PAY STARTING TO TAIL OFF AND OF COURSE, PAY FOR TEACHERS WITH EXPERIENCE, THE ONES WE WANT TO KEEP IN THE PROFESSION IS DOWN SIGNIFICANTLY OVER THE >> COUPLE OF DECADES, MR. SPOHR, HOW DOES FLORIDA RANK? >> WITH PER STUDENT SPENDING >> AND THAT'S ANOTHER AREA THAT WE CONTINUE TO WORK AND TRY TO GET THE LEGISLATURE TO MOVE ON. FLORIDA IS 41ST IN THE NATION AND I'M GOING TO TELL YOU, I THINK THAT MAY EVEN BE A LITTLE BIT INFLATED BECAUSE OF HOW FLORIDA FUNDS VOUCHERS AND PUBLIC SCHOOLS OUT OF THE SAME FUNDING. REMEMBER, THERE WAS AN AUDITOR GENERAL'S REPORT IN TALLAHASSEE THIS YEAR THAT HAD 17 RECOMMENDATIONS THAT SHOULD BE TAKEN TO ADDRESS THE PROBLEMS AROUND THE STATE'S UNIVERSAL VOUCHER PROGRAM. LAWMAKERS FAILED TO ACT ON IT AND IT'S NOT LOST ON ME THAT LAWMAKERS ARE MEETING THIS WEEK IN A SPECIAL SESSION TO TALK ABOUT POLITICAL ISSUES RATHER THAN TO ADDRESS THE FACT THAT IT'S REALLY HARD FOR FLORIDIANS TO MAKE ENDS MEET RIGHT NOW. HEALTH CARE COSTS ARE OUT OF CONTROL AND AND WE CONTINUE TO SEE GROCERY PRICES GOING UP EVERY DAY AND LAWMAKERS ARE DEALING WITH THE EVERYDAY NEEDS OF FLORIDIANS, INCLUDING MAKING SURE THAT OUR CHILDREN AND GRANDCHILDREN GET THE EDUCATION THEY DESERVE AND NEED. >> HOW DOES THE FACT THAT THE FLORIDA LEGISLATURE STILL HAS NOT PASSED A BUDGET FOR THE UPCOMING FISCAL YEAR? HOW DOES THAT IMPACT WHAT IS GOING ON IMPACTING TEACHERS AND SCHOOL DISTRICTS AND THE SALARIES AND THEIR BUDGETS? >> BUT YOU'RE SEEING SCHOOL DISTRICTS ALL OVER THE STATE TALKING ABOUT HAVING TO MAKE MASSIVE CUTS, INCREASED CLASS SIZES, EVEN DISTRICTS LIKE LEE COUNTY WHERE THEY HAVE INCREASING STUDENT ENROLLMENT ARE STRUGGLING TO MAKE ENDS MEET FINANCIALLY AND AGAIN, THAT HAS A LOT TO DO WITH THE FACT THAT FLORIDA IS FAILING IN ITS RESPONSIBILITY TO FUND PUBLIC SCHOOLS IS DIVERTING OVER 5 BILLION DOLLARS ANNUALLY OUT OF PUBLIC SCHOOLS TO ACCOUNTABLE FOR PROFIT VOUCHER SCHEMES. AND THEN, OF COURSE, WITHOUT HAVING THE LEGISLATURE FINISHING THE WORK THEY NEEDED TO FINISH ON TIME. IT MEANS DISTRICTS ARE KIND OF IN THE DARK. NOT SURE HOW MUCH MONEY THEY'RE GOING TO HAVE NEXT YEAR, ESPECIALLY WHEN YOU ADD THE VOUCHER PROGRAM TO THAT MIX. AND SO STUDENTS LOSE OUT WHEN WE HAVE TO MAKE CUTS OR CLOSE SCHOOLS OR INCREASE CLASS SIZE. AND THAT'S NOT OK. >> WHAT CAN FLORIDIANS DO TO HELP CREATE CHANGE IN THE SYSTEM TO TRY TO HELP INCREASED THE PAY FOR TEACHERS AND MAKE THEM MORE EQUITABLE. WELL, WE'VE SEEN A LOT OF DISTRICTS WHO HAVE >> PASS REFERENDUM TO INCREASE PAY FOR TEACHERS AND STAFF IN OUR SCHOOLS. AND THAT'S CERTAINLY ONE WAY TO DO IT. BUT I THINK MORE IMPORTANTLY, WE NEED TO PUT PRESSURE ON LAWMAKERS ON OUR SET STATE SENATORS IN OUR STATE HOUSE MEMBERS AND THE GOVERNOR'S OFFICE TO REALLY INVEST IN FLORIDA'S PUBLIC SCHOOLS. THEY MAKE BUDGETING DECISIONS WHICH ARE TALKING ABOUT THE PRIORITIES OF THE STATE. WHY IS IT THAT PUBLIC EDUCATION AND THE EDUCATION OF OUR STUDENTS? WHY IS IT ALWAYS LAST IN THAT CONVERSATION? IT NEEDS TO BE FRONT AND CENTER AND WE NEED TO MAKE SURE THAT LAWMAKERS ARE CONSTANTLY LOOKING OUT FOR THE FUTURE OF THE STATE. OUR CHILDREN. >> THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR JOINING US TODAY. APPRECIATE IT. >> THANK YOU, JENNIFER. HAVE A GREAT ONE TO 2.