Alachua County teachers will receive a pay increase for the 2025-2026 school year after two months of negotiation.
Alachua County Public Schools and the Alachua County Education Association, a union representing the teachers, finalized their agreement in a motion passed during a Nov. 4 school board meeting. A 3% raise is guaranteed, but teachers are eligible for up to a 4% pay increase based on their experience.
“This was definitely a win for both the district and the ACEA,” said Debbie Terry, assistant superintendent for human resources and the district’s chief negotiator, in a press release. “The negotiations were very collaborative. Both sides listened to each other and there was mutual respect shown throughout the bargaining process.”
Last year, the parties agreed on a 1.3% raise after the initial 1.6% raise was rejected. There was money left over from last year that wasn’t being used for salary that ACEA said could be used this time around.
The 3% raise was ratified by ACPS employees on Oct. 29, with 2,085 “yes” votes and 26 “no” votes. ACEA celebrated the increase and is preparing to make more changes in the upcoming years.
“Everybody deserves a living wage and a wage that shows the value of what they do,” said Crystal Tessmann, ACEA instructional vice president. “We’re excited about 3%, but we want to continue to increase that.”
The dollar amount each teacher will receive depends on their level of education and experience working in the school system.
Florida historically ranks low in the country for teacher pay. Only Mississippi had a lower average teacher salary in 2024, according to data from the World Population Review.
“The district and the union can only do so much with what we are given from the state,” Carmen Ward, ACEA president, said.
While this year is an improvement, the union is always looking to do more, she said.
The teachers are expected to receive back pay from the start of this year's contract. So, teachers will be paid back the first months of the 2025-2026 school year with their new raises in addition to their pay change for the rest of the year.
The raises should go into effect before Thanksgiving, Ward said.
Contact Teia Williams at twilliams@alligator.org Follow her on X @teia_williams.
Teia is a general assignment reporter for Metro. She is also a second semester journalism transfer student from Daytona State College and served as Editor-in-Chief for In Motion, DSC's student newspaper. When she's not writing, Teia can be found reading, going to concerts, at the beach and talking about her favorite artists.
