Teacher pay in Florida worst in the country — again. FEA blames DeSantis, GOP-majority Legislature
By Natalie La Roche Pietri
April 30, 2026 at 5:00 AM EDT
Florida's largest teachers' union leader says the latest report on low teacher pay represents more evidence that Gov. Ron DeSantis and the Republican-majority Legislature are "failing" the state's public schools by "favoring unaccountable voucher and charter schools."
"When public dollars are diverted away from public schools, and teachers can’t afford to stay in the profession, it’s students who lose," said Florida Education Association President Andrew Spar. "Public schools have been forced to cut essential services, lay off teachers and staff, and increase class sizes, all of which put students last.”
The FEA represents Florida’s largest teachers’ union representing more than 120,000 members.
Spar's remarks were in response the latest National Education Association report. For the third consecutive year, the NEA reported that Florida is again at the bottom of the list for teacher pay nationwide.
The average teacher salary in Florida public schools was $56,600 in 2025, compared to the national average of $74,400, according to the NEA report, which was released Monday.
The average Florida salary for teachers is about $2,000 more than last year and a substantial increase since the 2016-17 school year. However, it hasn’t risen on par with inflation, which sits at 3.3% in the U.S. currently. When adjusted, the average teacher salary decreased by an estimated 4.6% over the past decade.
It’s an issue that affects teacher retention, said Spar.
“Every time you have that turnover, students lose out,” Spar told WLRN. “ The bottom line is it's really hard for teachers and people to work in our schools without having to work two and three jobs.”
A new Gallup poll reveals that 71% of U.S. K-12 teachers hold at least one second job.
The NEA report's authors wrote the low teacher pay nationwide is causing "widespread financial stress, declining morale, and increasing strain on educators.”
The NEA report analyzed teacher pay in all 50 states and the District of Columbia.
In South Florida, where the cost of living has skyrocketed in recent years, teacher salaries aren't keeping up.
A family of two with two kids in Miami-Dade County would need to make $120,900 annually to live a modest and adequate lifestyle, according to calculations by the Economic Policy Institute. For Broward County it estimates $124,800 and $127,260 for Palm Beach County.
“ What we saw in the NEA report is that average teacher pay in Florida has only gone up about 3% over the last few years,” Spar said, “and when you look at that compared to inflation, you wonder why teachers are leaving because you can't keep up with the cost of goods.”
The average starting teacher salary in Florida is $49,400, slotting at number 19 compared to the rest of the country.
The union effect
Teachers earn 24% more on average in states with collective bargaining, the NEA report said.
It’s not a surprising statistic to Gordan Longhofer, president of the Classroom Teachers Association of Palm Beach County.
”You find that where unions are encouraged to be more active, it's a better product, it is a better focus, it's a better life for the teachers so that they can invest more of themselves into what's going on,” Longhofer told WLRN.
A recently passed state bill makes it harder for public sector unions to remain certified, requiring at least 50% of all employees in a bargaining unit to participate in an election. The union must then win 50% plus one of that total.
“ Florida is struggling with [teacher] salary, but that's also because of the very harsh attacks that unions have come under in Florida,” Longhofer said. “Not just the teacher's union, but other public service unions. They have come under tremendous attacks and as a result, there is a lot of drive to basically eliminate some of that advocacy and those protections for the employees.”
Longhofer’s union is in a current standoff with the district over raises.
The CTA is aiming for a nearly 5% raise for teachers this school year and the district countered with a 1.5% average raise and a one-time bonus as it seeks to adjust to a revenue shortfall of $66 million in its budget, driven by a loss of more than 7,000 students.
The union declared an impasse in November after the district's offer. A special magistrate recommended a 3.5% raise, but teachers have been kept in limbo since the district rejected the recommendation.
The school board will vote on the final decision on the matter next week and close the months-long battle.
Funding for public school students
The NEA report also ranks how much states and the District of Columbia invest in public education. Florida ranked 41, having spent $13,487 per student, on average, for the school year that ended in 2025.
The fewer students enrolled in a district, the less the state funds it. It affects teacher pay.
“Our education staff professionals, our custodians, our bus drivers, our cafeteria workers, our front office staff, our paraprofessionals — they all make significantly less than a living wage in the state of Florida, which is why we continue to deal with a massive teacher and staff shortage…,” the FEA's Spar said.
Spar would like to see the state allocate $1,000 more per student per year for the next seven years.
The state’s budget for 2026-27 has not been approved. The fiscal year begins July 1.
The House proposed a $113.6 billion package, about $1 billion less than the current budget that ends June 30. The Senate plan came in at $115 billion. The funding for private school scholarships is nearing $5 billion.
In Florida, about 80% of students are in public schools and half a million are on vouchers.
“We have never even gotten back to 2006-2007 funding levels, because state leaders have made a deliberate choice to prioritize a so-called ‘choice’ agenda over the schools where most of our children are actually educated,” said United Teachers of Dade President Antonio White in a statement to WLRN. It’s a “devastating” decision for teachers and students.
Browse the full NEA by state report here.
"When public dollars are diverted away from public schools, and teachers can’t afford to stay in the profession, it’s students who lose," said Florida Education Association President Andrew Spar. "Public schools have been forced to cut essential services, lay off teachers and staff, and increase class sizes, all of which put students last.”
The FEA represents Florida’s largest teachers’ union representing more than 120,000 members.
Spar's remarks were in response the latest National Education Association report. For the third consecutive year, the NEA reported that Florida is again at the bottom of the list for teacher pay nationwide.
The average teacher salary in Florida public schools was $56,600 in 2025, compared to the national average of $74,400, according to the NEA report, which was released Monday.
The average Florida salary for teachers is about $2,000 more than last year and a substantial increase since the 2016-17 school year. However, it hasn’t risen on par with inflation, which sits at 3.3% in the U.S. currently. When adjusted, the average teacher salary decreased by an estimated 4.6% over the past decade.
It’s an issue that affects teacher retention, said Spar.
“Every time you have that turnover, students lose out,” Spar told WLRN. “ The bottom line is it's really hard for teachers and people to work in our schools without having to work two and three jobs.”
A new Gallup poll reveals that 71% of U.S. K-12 teachers hold at least one second job.
The NEA report's authors wrote the low teacher pay nationwide is causing "widespread financial stress, declining morale, and increasing strain on educators.”
The NEA report analyzed teacher pay in all 50 states and the District of Columbia.
In South Florida, where the cost of living has skyrocketed in recent years, teacher salaries aren't keeping up.
A family of two with two kids in Miami-Dade County would need to make $120,900 annually to live a modest and adequate lifestyle, according to calculations by the Economic Policy Institute. For Broward County it estimates $124,800 and $127,260 for Palm Beach County.
“ What we saw in the NEA report is that average teacher pay in Florida has only gone up about 3% over the last few years,” Spar said, “and when you look at that compared to inflation, you wonder why teachers are leaving because you can't keep up with the cost of goods.”
The average starting teacher salary in Florida is $49,400, slotting at number 19 compared to the rest of the country.
The union effect
Teachers earn 24% more on average in states with collective bargaining, the NEA report said.
It’s not a surprising statistic to Gordan Longhofer, president of the Classroom Teachers Association of Palm Beach County.
”You find that where unions are encouraged to be more active, it's a better product, it is a better focus, it's a better life for the teachers so that they can invest more of themselves into what's going on,” Longhofer told WLRN.
A recently passed state bill makes it harder for public sector unions to remain certified, requiring at least 50% of all employees in a bargaining unit to participate in an election. The union must then win 50% plus one of that total.
“ Florida is struggling with [teacher] salary, but that's also because of the very harsh attacks that unions have come under in Florida,” Longhofer said. “Not just the teacher's union, but other public service unions. They have come under tremendous attacks and as a result, there is a lot of drive to basically eliminate some of that advocacy and those protections for the employees.”
Longhofer’s union is in a current standoff with the district over raises.
The CTA is aiming for a nearly 5% raise for teachers this school year and the district countered with a 1.5% average raise and a one-time bonus as it seeks to adjust to a revenue shortfall of $66 million in its budget, driven by a loss of more than 7,000 students.
The union declared an impasse in November after the district's offer. A special magistrate recommended a 3.5% raise, but teachers have been kept in limbo since the district rejected the recommendation.
The school board will vote on the final decision on the matter next week and close the months-long battle.
Funding for public school students
The NEA report also ranks how much states and the District of Columbia invest in public education. Florida ranked 41, having spent $13,487 per student, on average, for the school year that ended in 2025.
The fewer students enrolled in a district, the less the state funds it. It affects teacher pay.
“Our education staff professionals, our custodians, our bus drivers, our cafeteria workers, our front office staff, our paraprofessionals — they all make significantly less than a living wage in the state of Florida, which is why we continue to deal with a massive teacher and staff shortage…,” the FEA's Spar said.
Spar would like to see the state allocate $1,000 more per student per year for the next seven years.
The state’s budget for 2026-27 has not been approved. The fiscal year begins July 1.
The House proposed a $113.6 billion package, about $1 billion less than the current budget that ends June 30. The Senate plan came in at $115 billion. The funding for private school scholarships is nearing $5 billion.
In Florida, about 80% of students are in public schools and half a million are on vouchers.
“We have never even gotten back to 2006-2007 funding levels, because state leaders have made a deliberate choice to prioritize a so-called ‘choice’ agenda over the schools where most of our children are actually educated,” said United Teachers of Dade President Antonio White in a statement to WLRN. It’s a “devastating” decision for teachers and students.
Browse the full NEA by state report here.