Why Manatee County schools just raised the pay for teachers and teacher aids
The School Board of Manatee County and the Manatee Education Association voted unanimously to increase the starting pay for teachers and the hourly pay for teacher aids.
The board announced in a press release on Tuesday that it will raise the starting pay for incoming teachers from $52,910 to $55,177, an annual increase of $2,267.
Teacher assistants’ hourly wage will increase from $13.34 to $15, and all of the changes will be retroactive to July 1, 2022.
New teachers will receive a base pay of $48,586 and a bonus of $6,591 which is supplemented by the district’s one-mill property tax.
Last year, residents voted to renew the property tax referendum in a special election in November.
The referendum — which equates to $1 for every $1,000 on a home’s taxable value — brought in more than $37 million in 2018. And thanks to the rising population and home prices in Manatee County, the revenue has grown by millions of dollars every year.
Funds support the district with school programs, field trips and teacher salaries.
The Bradenton Herald reported on the nationwide teacher shortage at the start of the school year. The Manatee County school district had 50 teacher vacancies and 196 open support staff positions, and it acknowledged the need for more skilled instructors.
“During this time when all school districts are struggling to recruit and retain the highly qualified teachers and paraprofessionals our students need and deserve, this is a significant step forward for our school district,” School Board of Manatee County Superintendent Cynthia Saunders said in the press release.
The pay raise is one of the ways the district aims to keep qualified teachers in the classroom.
