Florida Senate - 2024 SB 136



By Senator Berman





26-00235-24 2024136__
1 A bill to be entitled
2 An act relating to minimum base salary for full-time
3 classroom teachers; providing a short title; amending
4 s. 1011.62, F.S.; increasing the minimum base salary
5 for full-time classroom teachers and certain
6 prekindergarten teachers; providing an effective date.
7
8 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
9
10 Section 1. This act may be cited as the “Save Our Teachers
11 Act.”
12 Section 2. Subsection (14) of section 1011.62, Florida
13 Statutes, is amended to read:
14 1011.62 Funds for operation of schools.—If the annual
15 allocation from the Florida Education Finance Program to each
16 district for operation of schools is not determined in the
17 annual appropriations act or the substantive bill implementing
18 the annual appropriations act, it shall be determined as
19 follows:
20 (14) CLASSROOM TEACHER AND OTHER INSTRUCTIONAL PERSONNEL
21 SALARY INCREASE.—The Legislature shall annually apportion an
22 amount of funds provided in the Florida Education Finance
23 Program to assist school districts and charter schools in their
24 compliance with the requirement that the minimum base salary for
25 full-time classroom teachers, as defined in s. 1012.01(2)(a),
26 and certified prekindergarten teachers funded in the Florida
27 Education Finance Program is at least $65,000 $47,500 or to
28 provide salary increases to instructional personnel, as defined
29 in s. 1012.01(2)(a)-(d), in a manner that best meets the needs
30 of the school district or charter school. This subsection does
31 not apply to substitute teachers. The amount and distribution
32 methodology for the funding shall be specified in the General
33 Appropriations Act.
34 (a) The term “minimum base salary” means the lowest annual
35 base salary reported on the salary schedule for a full-time
36 classroom teacher. A full-time classroom teacher may not receive
37 a salary less than the minimum base salary as adjusted by this
38 subsection.
39 (b) A school district or charter school shall maintain the
40 minimum base salary achieved for classroom teachers provided in
41 the prior fiscal year and may not reduce the salary increases in
42 any subsequent fiscal year.
43 (c) Before distributing any additional funds received over
44 the prior fiscal year, each school district and each charter
45 school shall develop a salary distribution plan that clearly
46 delineates the planned distribution of funds in accordance with
47 modified salary schedules, as necessary, for the implementation
48 of this subsection.
49 1. Each school district superintendent and each charter
50 school administrator must submit its proposed salary
51 distribution plan to the district school board or the charter
52 school governing body, as appropriate, for approval.
53 2. Each school district shall submit the approved district
54 salary distribution plan and the approved salary distribution
55 plan for each charter school in the district to the department
56 by October 1 of each fiscal year.
57 (d) Beginning August 1, 2024, and each year thereafter, in
58 a format specified by the department, each school district shall
59 provide a report to the department that includes a detailed
60 summary explaining the school district’s prior year’s
61 expenditures pursuant to this subsection. The report must
62 include the amount of the increase to the minimum base salary
63 for classroom teachers and the school district’s salary schedule
64 for the prior fiscal year and the fiscal year in which the base
65 salary is increased. Each charter school governing board shall
66 submit the information required under this subparagraph to the
67 district school board for inclusion in the school district’s
68 report to the department.
69 (e) Although district school boards and charter school
70 governing boards are not precluded from bargaining over wages,
71 the classroom teacher and other instructional personnel salary
72 increase must be used solely to comply with the requirements of
73 this subsection. A district school board or charter school
74 governing board that is unable to meet the reporting
75 requirements in paragraph (d) due to a collective bargaining
76 impasse must provide written notification to the department or
77 the district school board, as applicable, detailing the reasons
78 for the impasse with a proposed timeline and details for a
79 resolution.
80 Section 3. This act shall take effect July 1, 2024.

Statutes affected:
S 136 Filed: 1011.62