Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Teacher Pay topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Teachers tell Leon County School Board they cannot afford to stay; board asks attorney to study tax options
Summary
More than a dozen teachers and union representatives told the Leon County School Board they are working multiple jobs, living paycheck-to-paycheck and leaving the classroom because pay lags local costs. During the meeting board members asked the board attorney to research tax-based funding options for raises.
Dozens of Leon County public school teachers and a union representative urged the Leon County School Board on Dec. 10 to increase educator pay, saying current salaries do not cover basic living costs.
The speakers — including Scott Mazer of the Leon Classroom Teachers Association and more than a dozen classroom teachers — described working second and third jobs, going without savings and, in several cases, facing homelessness or the prospect of leaving the profession.
The comments came during the board’s Persons to Be Heard period, when members of the public addressed the board. Scott Mazer, representing the Leon Classroom Teachers Association, thanked the board for engaging in negotiations but urged careful consideration of the financial impacts on staff if arbitrated results change the district’s obligations.
Teachers who spoke afterward gave personal accounts. Several said they work nights or weekends delivering food, tutoring or DoorDash to make ends meet; some said they bring home about $3,000 a month and that rent, utilities and insurance absorb most of that. One teacher said she is homeless and living with family. Others said rising health-insurance and living costs make remaining in Leon County untenable compared with neighboring states.
Board members did not adopt any salary changes at the meeting. Instead, a board member requested further study: the board asked its attorney to investigate “tax options” that could fund salary increases, and staff said they would return with more information in a future meeting. No timeline for that review was provided.
The public-comment period ran through multiple speakers over roughly the middle portion of the meeting; speakers repeatedly asked the board to value veteran teachers as well as new hires and to address health-benefit cost increases.
The board did not vote on a salary schedule or collective-bargaining agreements during the meeting. Several consent items and policy changes were taken up later in the agenda.
Why it matters: Teachers’ pay and retention directly affect classroom staffing and student services. The board’s request for legal analysis of tax-based funding indicates it is exploring revenue options rather than immediately approving new recurring expenditures.
Next steps: Board members said staff and legal counsel will return with options; no decision was made at this meeting.
