TAMPA, Fla. — A salary impasse between Hillsborough County teachers and the school district continues Wednesday and another round of negotiations is set for November 29.

Teachers in Hillsborough County want to be caught up on the published salary “step-scale”, an experience-based pay raise scale teachers were promised before the pandemic.


What You Need To Know

  • Salary impasse between Hillsborough County teachers and the school district

  • Teachers in Hillsborough County want to be caught up on the published salary “step-scale”

  • Board says it can only afford to give teachers the pay raise they lost during COVID, plus a bonus for this year.

But during the pandemic, the district was forced to pause the step-scale, and is now one year behind.

Hillsborough County Schools recently dug itself out of a $100 million budget deficit and has told the Hillsborough Classroom Teachers Association it can only afford to give teachers the pay raise they lost during COVID, plus a bonus for this year.

Teachers sounded off on the negotiations at a November 1 school board meeting.

“What I feel we are negotiating at impasse is not a raise,” said Kathleen Dunkelberger, a 4th grade math teachers at Northwest Elementary School.  “We are negotiating out of a salary cut during record high inflation, and record high prices on the housing market."

Hillsborough County Schools says it cannot comment on ongoing salary negotiations, however the teachers union did comment, saying it believes the district has the money to get teachers caught up on the pay scale.

“Keep good on the word of the contract and the salary schedule that they advertise both here in Florida and across the country,” said Hillsborough CTA President Rob Kriete.  “Hey come teach here in Hillsborough, here's what you will make.  Well, not this year.  At least not right now."