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Public commenter says Seminole teachers lagging in real wages despite contract on consent agenda
Summary
A resident urged the board to address teacher pay after noting inflation-adjusted declines since 2016 and questioned whether a consent-agenda bargaining agreement would adequately address teacher compensation.
A Seminole County resident urged the school board to pursue stronger policy options to increase teacher pay during public comment on Sept. 16, saying raises in recent agreements have not kept pace with inflation.
"Since 2016, in inflation adjusted dollars, teachers have lost money in their salary," said James Evans, who addressed the SCA bargaining agreement on the night's consent agenda. Evans told the board the contract's increase for a "highly effective" teacher is 2.3 percent, which he said remains below last year's Consumer Price Index and results in an inflation-adjusted pay reduction.
Why it matters: The comment framed compensation as a district-policy issue, pointing to broader workforce and retention concerns. Evans also noted that Seminole is a strong-performing district but that its average teacher pay lags the state average, citing Florida Department of Education statistics.
What was said - James Evans: "In Seminole County, we are 1 of the best districts in the state and yet our teachers are being left behind financially. ... Seminole's average teacher does make less than the state average," he said, urging the board to consider policy initiatives to raise pay.
Board response and action The SCA bargaining agreement was on the meeting's consent agenda; the transcript indicates the board expected to accept consent-agenda items as presented but does not record separate discussion or amendment of the bargaining agreement during the public-comment segment. No formal board response to Evans' request is recorded in the transcript.
