LARGO, Fla. — In an area that's otherwise booming, those helping to shape the next generation said they fear they'll be pushed out because of low pay.
In Hillsborough County, a failed referendum has left educators fundraising to help pay for certain programs and supplies.
“If we can help a few schools, it’s better for us to get involved and try to do something for a few schools than do nothing at all," Paula Castono, the creator of Hillsborough Public School Advocates.
To avoid this, at Tuesday night's school board meeting, teachers in Pinellas County told board members that they need a pay increase.
Right now, the Pinellas County School District said it can offer new teachers $52,000 to start and a 4% salary increase all around — among other things.
But the Pinellas Classroom Teachers Association (PCTA) said the district could do more to make sure those increases also make sense for veteran teachers.
"It might be enough for the starting teachers, but because of the state salary rules, the veteran teachers will get far less," said Nancy Velardi, PCTA President.
In response, school board member Laura Hine assured the group that the board supports teachers and wants to do everything it can to find a solution as quickly as possible.
"What I would love is some ideas about how we can increase the money in or change the money out. Tell me, tell us," she said.
The PCTA told ABC Action News that the district might need to start here.
"We have so many electronic programs and there's just not a need for all those electronic programs," said Velardi.
Tuesday, the school board did talk about money. They had a second reading of the budget, which would include a change to the millage rate. But at this point, they said they're still hoping to get back to the negotiation table with the teachers union and the support staff union.
That said, they also told us that they reached a tentative deal with the union for service employees.
This debate over teacher pay in those two counties comes as Manatee County Schools unanimously approved increasing starting teacher pay to more than $55,000 Tuesday.
That's an increase of roughly $2,000 per year and makes their starting pay amongst the highest in the state. The pay for para-professionals and teacher aides has also been increased to $15 per hour.
