Veteran public school teachers in Escambia County want more than a $200 annual raise

Colin Warren-Hicks, Pensacola News Journal
·3 min read

Some veteran Escambia County teachers do not believe their paychecks adequately reflect the value of their years of hard-earned experience.

A bargaining team representing the teachers' union, the Escambia Education Association Local 7415, walked away last week unsatisfied from a first round of salary renegotiations with the Escambia County School District — rejecting a district-proposed annual pay raise for veteran teachers of $200.

"That's right. That's what they wanted to give us, just $200 more per year," said Carol Cleaver, a science teacher at Ferry Pass Middle School and vice president of the Local 7415.

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Members of the Escambia Education Association Local 7415 teachers union are asking the school district to provide more substantial pay raises than a $200 annual increase educators say was proposed in an initial round of bargaining.
Members of the Escambia Education Association Local 7415 teachers union are asking the school district to provide more substantial pay raises than a $200 annual increase educators say was proposed in an initial round of bargaining.

On the eve of a second round of salary negotiations, teachers aired their grievances and spoke to the Escambia County School Board about their salary concerns at a Tuesday night board meeting.

School Board Chairman Kevin Adams declined to comment on the salary negotiations while they remain ongoing.

Cheryl Ziegler explained to the board that she's currently looking for a second job. An earth and space, science and biology teacher at Escambia High School, the longtime educator said she can no longer afford to pay her household bills on just her teacher's salary.

"Teachers are tired. We are mentally drained. The stress and pressure of teaching in a pandemic is beyond what anyone who has not been in a classroom can really and truly understand," Ziegler told board members.

Cheryl Ziegler, an Escambia High School earth and space, science and biology teacher, smiles after speaking before the Escambia County School Board about the need for pay raises for veteran educators.
Cheryl Ziegler, an Escambia High School earth and space, science and biology teacher, smiles after speaking before the Escambia County School Board about the need for pay raises for veteran educators.

Due to an ongoing teacher shortage, the longtime educator said Escambia County teachers like her must allow extra students in each one of the classes that they teach, which adds to their workloads.

"We have teachers who are leaving for various reasons, and some of that is because of this," Ziegler said, referring to the stresses brought by the pandemic.

"But part of it is because of pay. When we come to the negotiating table and the small amount of a raise that is there, it doesn't really show the value that is put on the amount of work that we do. Teachers who have been with the district for years, with years of experience, that can be lost because of all of this coming together."

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Laura Baney, an eighth-grade science teacher at Bailey Middle School, echoed Ziegler's sentiments.

"I know two young ladies who were outstanding, who have left because salary wasn't compensatory and the workload has become just overwhelming," Baney told school board members. "I'm asking that when you return to the bargaining table, you come with an offer that is a sincere reflection of all the dedication that we have and that we give and that we put in to our classrooms during these trying times. Thank you."

Cleaver, of the Local 7415, told the News Journal the starting salary for Escambia County teachers without experience is $43,500 per year, and that after 16 years of experience, her salary is $46,000 per year.

"And that's because I have a master's degree," Cleaver said. "But really, without my master's degree, I would really only be making about $1,000 more (than a new teacher)."

Cleaver said that she and her fellow union members want the Escambia County School District to propose an annual raise increase for veteran teachers more substantial than $200.

"Something serious," she said.

"I've got 16 years of experience of teaching science," Cleaver later added. “Do you want me teaching your child or a 22-year-old? Do you want to keep an employee like me? Or do you want to have 22-year-old, after 22-year-old, after 22-year-old — which is what we've seen."

Colin Warren-Hicks can be reached at colinwarrenhicks@pnj.com or 850-435-8680.

This article originally appeared on Pensacola News Journal: Escambia Education Association seeks raises for longtime teachers