How Florida teacher pay works
Two pay systems, decided by when you were hired
Since 2011, Florida law (section 1012.22, Florida Statutes) has required districts to pay newly hired teachers on a performance salary schedule. Raises on that schedule depend on your annual evaluation: teachers rated Highly Effective must get a larger raise than those rated Effective, and lower ratings can mean no raise at all. Teachers who already held a professional services or continuing contract could stay on the oldergrandfathered schedule, a traditional step grid where pay rises with years of service.
That's why many Florida districts publish more than one table, and why a district page here may show a new-hire placement chart, a performance schedule and a grandfathered schedule side by side. Each page says who each table applies to.
Where a new teacher starts
Districts place new hires using a placement chart or a starting-salary rule, and they credit outside experience very differently. In some districts, years of experience barely change your starting pay; in others, a veteran teacher can start tens of thousands of dollars above a first-year teacher. Each district page shows what your experience is worth at hire. Since 2020 the state has also sent districts money earmarked for teacher pay (the Teacher Salary Increase Allocation), much of which has gone into raising starting salaries.
Master's and other advanced degrees
Florida districts pay advanced degrees as a flat yearly supplement on top of base pay: from $1,150 to $3,517 for a master's among the districts we track, with more for a specialist or doctorate. For teachers hired on or after July 1, 2011, state law says the degree generally has to be in your area of certification to earn the supplement.
Referendum supplements
Some counties have asked voters to approve a local property tax that pays teachers extra. Pinellas, Palm Beach, Miami-Dade and Pasco currently pay one. Districts handle it differently: Pinellas adds a flat amount, Palm Beach and Pasco phase it in by experience, and Miami-Dade pays a percentage of base salary. Because voters have to renew these taxes, that part of the paycheck isn't guaranteed beyond the current referendum.
Contract days
Annual salaries cover a set number of working days, from 196 to 198 days in the districts we track. When you compare districts, a daily rate (salary divided by contract days) is a fairer comparison than salary alone, and each district page shows it when the contract states the number of days.