Manatee School District paid 174 new teachers more than current teachers with same experience

BRADENTON -- The Manatee County School District mistakenly paid 174 newly hired teachers more than teachers already working in the district with the same level of experience because of an error made when the teachers were hired, the Manatee County School Board said in a statement released Tuesday.

After a Lee Middle School teacher brought a discrepancy to the school board at a previous meeting, the school district and the Manatee Education Association began to investigate.

Molly Westbrook said a new teacher was making more money than she was even though they had the same amount of experience, which prompted the investigation. A committee met twice after spring break, according to the district.

"The Performance Salary Schedule Placement Chart contained a discrepancy

which resulted in 174 newly hired teachers for 2015-16 being placed at levels higher than current teachers with the same experience," the release stated. "The District currently employs 2,900 teachers."

The newly hired teachers were not straight out of college. Newly hired teachers who were affected already had some teaching experience and were accidentally placed on the wrong salary step.

Affected teachers were notified Tuesday. No teacher's pay will change for the rest of the year and the district will correct the placements for the 2016-17 school year, according to the district.

"They're going to be placed where they should have been placed this year," Pat Barber, head of the Manatee Education Association, said Tuesday.

For the 174 teachers hired this year, it mostly likely means a decrease in pay next year since the teachers may not have gained enough experience to move up the salary ladder. That could change based on negotiations, Barber said.

"It all depends on negotiations," Barber said.

Meghin Delaney, education reporter, can be reached at 941-745-7081. Follow her on Twitter @MeghinDelaney.

This story was originally published April 12, 2016 at 11:24 PM with the headline "Manatee School District paid 174 new teachers more than current teachers with same experience ."