Teachers tell Alachua County School Board they are "overworked and underpaid" as bargaining stalls

Dozens of Alachua County teachers told the Alachua County School Board on Feb. 4 that low pay and stalled contract bargaining are forcing staff to work second jobs and are driving colleagues from the district.

At a public-comment session dominated by educators, teachers described long unpaid hours, inadequate step increases and a rejected district offer that many said failed to address inflation and workload. Their remarks came as bargaining between the district and teacher representatives continues and after teachers said the district did not present a follow-up compensation proposal at a Jan. 28 meeting.

The concerns were laid out in detail by Gina Rivera, a 16‑year veteran elementary teacher, who estimated she is owed about $12,000 when she divides her net pay by the actual hours she works. "We are overworked and underpaid," Rivera told the board. She and other speakers said the commonly offered 1.6% increase proposed by the district does not reflect what teachers called additional unpaid labor.

Specialists who work across the county described…