Collier County School Board approves teacher pay plan, rejects union proposal, frustrating educators

COLLIER COUNTY, Fla. —

The Collier County School Board voted to move forward with an overall 3.6% pay raise for teachers after months of negotiations and a final three-hour hearing Friday night, sparking immediate reactions from educators in attendance.

More than 100 teachers were present at the meeting, with some booing and others walking out as the decision was announced. Under the district’s plan, most teachers will receive an average annual raise of $1,350, while highly effective teachers will see an increase of approximately $2,200.

“Collier County teachers will be getting the largest raise of all teachers in the state,” said Stephanie Lucarelli, chair of the Collier County School Board.

The raises are broken down by salary levels. According to the school district, a teacher making $60,000 would get a 3.93% raise. A $70,000 salary would increase by 3.40%, an $80,000 salary would increase by 2.95% and a $90,000 salary would increase by 2.62%.

Despite the increase, many educators expressed disappointment, noting that the raise falls short of the 10% increase proposed by the union.

“With the levels of inflation, it's not even really a pay increase. We're still making less than we need to be making,” said Angel Rafaloff, a teacher.

Union supporters also voiced concerns about the financial struggles faced by educators.

“My son is a terrific teacher. So is my daughter-in-law. They work extremely hard. But it's very frustrating to not have a livable salary and live and work in Collier County,” said Shelly Ant, a family member of Collier County teachers.

Rafaloff added, “We're not asking for a handout. We need a livable wage to put food on the table for families.”

District leaders defended the plan, emphasizing its competitiveness and financial sustainability. According to Collier County Public Schools, the average teacher salary in the district is $74,271, with 91% of full-time teachers earning over $60,000 annually.

“What we've done over the last three years is, like I said, take a really aggressive stance to try and bump our teachers up as quick as possible. But now we have to be very careful because we have to be able to sustain the raises that we've given over the last three years,” Lucarelli said.

The school board plans to formally approve the raises for the current school year during its Wednesday meeting, even if the union does not ratify the agreement.

While the district’s average salary is higher than the state’s, Florida ranks 50th in teacher pay among U.S. states and Washington, D.C., according to the National Education Association. Florida’s average public school teacher salary last school year was $56,663, nearly $18,000 below the national average of $74,000.

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