Title: Instructional Personnel Salaries

Summary: Citing this act as the "Florida Teacher Fair Pay Act"; providing legislative intent that the Florida Education Finance Program be funded at a level that ensures a certain minimum annual starting salary for instructional personnel; specifying a statewide minimum salary for all instructional personnel for the 2020-2021 fiscal year; requiring the Department of Education to annually calculate an adjusted statewide minimum annual starting salary, etc.

Full Text:
An act relating to instructional personnel salaries; creating s. 1012.052, F.S.; providing a short title; providing legislative intent that the Florida Education Finance Program be funded at a level that ensures a certain minimum annual starting salary for instructional personnel; specifying a statewide minimum salary for all instructional personnel for the 2020-2021 fiscal year; requiring the Department of Education to annually calculate an adjusted statewide minimum annual starting salary; providing requirements for calculating the adjustment; requiring district school boards to adjust the statewide minimum annual starting salary, as determined by the department, by applying district cost differentials; specifying that the adjustment may not reduce a district s minimum annual starting salary below the statewide minimum annual starting salary; providing an effective date. Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida: Section 1. Section 1012.052, Florida Statutes, is created to read: 1012.0   Instructional personnel salaries.  (1) This section may be cited as the  Florida Teacher Fair Pay Act.  (2) In order to attract and retain instructional personnel, it is the intent of the Legislature for the Florida Education Finance Program to be funded at a level that ensures that the collectively bargained salary schedules for instructional personnel are sufficient to guarantee a minimum annual starting salary while maintaining adequate funding for all other education program areas and personnel. (a) For the 2020-2021 fiscal year, the statewide minimum salary for all instructional personnel is $50,000. By November of each fiscal year thereafter, the Department of Education shall calculate an adjusted statewide minimum annual starting salary for the upcoming fiscal year by increasing the minimum annual starting salary then in force by the rate of inflation for the 12-month period ending on September 1. In making this adjusted statewide minimum annual starting salary calculation, the department shall use the Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers, not seasonally adjusted, for the South Region or a successor index as calculated by the United States Department of Labor. (b) Each district school board shall adjust the statewide minimum annual starting salary, as calculated by the department, by applying the district cost differential as provided in s. 1011.62(2). However, application of the district cost differential may not decrease the minimum annual starting salary in any district below the statewide minimum annual starting salary. Section 2. This act shall take effect July 1, 2020.