ST. JOHNS COUNTY, Fla. — The St. Johns County teachers union, the St. Johns Education Association, met with the school district on Wednesday to agree on how much money from higher property taxes passed in last year’s election will go toward salary boosts for teachers and support staff.
Action News Jax told you back in November when voters passed a hike on property taxes specifically to increase teacher pay, hire and keep more teachers, and invest in things like better school security. The teachers union says about $23.7 million from the higher property taxes is going toward boosting teacher salaries.
“It is huge for St Johns County and we are thrilled and we are grateful,” said Kate Dowdie, president of the St. Johns Education Association.
Dowdie tells Action News Jax that the money going to the district’s teachers from the property tax increase is bringing back teachers who previously chose to leave St. Johns County for other local school districts, partly to make higher salaries.
“This has been a critical need for us,” Dowdie said, “with such a low pay, having teachers say ‘okay, I can come back and serve my community,’ that’s huge.”
The St. Johns County School District says one of its priorities, right now, is hiring and retaining more teachers.
Even though the Florida Department of Education recently put out performance reports for the state’s school districts saying St. Johns County is the highest performing district in northeast Florida, the department’s numbers also show the district’s average teacher salaries for the 2024-2025 school year were lower than nearby counties like Duval, Nassau and Putnam.
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Dowdie is hoping the extra money from the property tax increase will help give the district a boost of its own.
“This is a big relief, definitely a big relief,” said Dowdie.
The teachers union shared its numbers with Action News Jax showing how much more teachers are set to make for the next school year. We’re told the boosts will be spread out from paycheck to paycheck, rather than shared all at once.
We broke down the numbers to show how much it means for each check:
- Teachers with 0-5 years of experience: $4,500 total boost
- Over 10 months: $225 per check
- Over 12 months: $187.50 per check
- Teachers with 6-10 years of experience: $5,555 total boost
- Over 10 months: $277.75 per check
- Over 12 months: $231.46 per check
- Teachers with 11-15 years of experience: $6,666 total boost
- Over 10 months: $333.33 per check
- Over 12 months: $277.75 per check
- Teachers with 16-20 years of experience: $7,777 total boost
- Over 10 months: $388.85 per check
- Over 12 months: $324.04 per check
- Teachers with 21+ years of experience: $8,888 total boost
- Over 10 months: $444.4 per check
- Over 12 months: $370.33 per check
The St. Johns Educational Support Professional Association, the union for the district’s support staff, tells Action News Jax that each non-instructional/support worker is set to get a $6,516 total boost for the next school year. For those who only take checks during the school year, it will add up to around $325.80 extra per check. Workers who get checks every month of the year will get around $217.50 extra per check.
“It’s a difference between them staying and taking a job elsewhere,” said Charlena Retkowski, president of the St. Johns Educational Support Professional Association, “we’re hoping that will retain and bring in more people.”
Both unions are set to meet with the school district again during the first week of August. The unions tell Action News Jax the numbers for the pay boosts are final and are not expected to change before the start of the school year. Since the property tax increases funding the extra pay was passed by voters during an election, the unions say these pay boosts are now on a four-year cycle and can be voted on again during the next election year.
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