Madison County teacher’s salaries rank one of lowest in state

A report by the Florida Department of Education (FDOE) showing the average salaries of teachers across the state during the 2013-14 school year has been making the rounds lately. Although not the lowest paid in the state, teacher salaries in Madison and Jefferson counties rank at the lower end of the scale. According to the FDOE, the average salary for teachers across the state during the 2013/14 school year was $47,780 annually. By comparison, teachers in Madison County averaged $41,277 and in  Jefferson County, they averaged $42,280 during this period.  It’s important to note that the FDOE salaries represent averages. Individual teacher salaries in Madison County, for example, actually range from $33,857 to $59,705, depending on credentials, years of teaching, and the union’s negotiating skills, among other factors. (These figures include the longevity supplement; which is for those who have been here for 30+ years.) It’s also important to keep in mind that the average salary for all workers in Florida is little more than $41,000, according to the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics. Interestingly, a state Senator from Orlando has introduced legislation in the current session that seeks to start new teachers at $50,000 annually come next school year. The bill, however, reportedly doesn’t address how lawmakers will come up with the money for the increases, nor does it say whether experienced teachers will get a matching pay bump. Following are the 67 school districts in the state and their average salaries for teachers during the 2013/14 school year, ranked from highest to lowest, along with the number of teachers in each district (no salary information was provided for Gadsden):  1. Sarasota — 2,658 teachers, $58,093 2. Monroe — 549, $56,202 3. Collier — 3,111, $53,776 4. Broward — 14,241, $53,767 5. Dade, 20 —389, $52,691 6. Flagler — 768, $52,460 7. Okaloosa — 1,900, $51,208 8. Glades — 116, $50,787 9. Hillsborough — 14,454, $50,113 10. Palm Beach — 13,349, $48,771 11. Suwannee — 403, $48,585 12. Sumter — 406, $48,400 13. Seminole — 4,414, $48,071 14. Charlotte — 1,046, $47,992 15. Manatee — 2,765, $47,673 16. St. Johns — 2,155, $47,100 17. Osceola — 3,541, $46,606 18. Lafayette — 73, $46,606 19. Clay, 2,689 — $46,442 20. Lee, 5,848 — $46,260 21. Pinellas, 7,807 — $46,256 22. Brevard — 4,792, $46,054 23. Marion — 2,739, $45,887 24. Gilchrist — 164, $45,884 25. Citrus — 1,150, $45,858 26. Polk — 7,151, $45,791 27. Santa Rosa — 1,777, $45,768 28. Highlands — 847, $45,747 29. Duval — 7,996, $45,691 30. Bradford — 251, $45,359 31. Volusia — 4,370, $45,273 32. Okeechobee — 429, $45,160 33. Nassau, 723 — $44,797 34. Indian River — 1,224, $44,750 35. Levy — 374, $44,626 36. Martin — 1,270, $44,522 37. Putnam — 729, $44,413 38. St. Lucie — 2,630, $44,191 39. Washington — 292, $44,162 40. Orange — 13,563, $44,094 41. Walton — 623, $43,900 42. Hardee — 378, $43,856 43. Bay — 1,965, $43,826 44. Hernando —1,644, $43,788 45. Taylor — 206, $43,779 46. Hendry — 449, $43,687 47. Gulf — 141, $43,591 48. Lake — 2,893, $43,398 49. Leon — 2,346, $43,324 50. Baker — 339, $43,196 51. Holmes — 254, $42,990 52. Escambia — 2,835, $42,940 53. Alachua — 1,937, $42,745 54. Desoto — 340, $42,636 55. Jackson — 530, $42,477 56. Jefferson — 83, $42,280 57. Hamilton — 119, $41,633 58. Franklin — 88, $41,599 59. Dixie — 133, $41,546 60. Liberty — 117, $41,283 61. Madison — 187, $41,277 62. Wakulla — 340, $41,203 63. Pasco — 4,705, $40,602 64. Columbia — 724, $40,370 65. Calhoun — 181, $40,349 66. Union — 174, $39,573