District officials say it hurts recruitment. But this time it wasn't pay raises that garnered the most attention. Instead, the educators grappled with details about how to solve the dilemma created between the same parties a half-dozen years ago. That meant that any teacher who came to the district would only get credit for five years of experience for salary purposes. But the cap has created other problems.
Officials say it has hurt the district's efforts to recruit and retain teachers.
Now, as teacher shortages are felt throughout Florida and the nation, Citrus educators want to lengthen the cap to as much as 10 years. On Tuesday, representatives from the Citrus County Educational Association and the administration looked at lists showing that about 90 of the district's 1,050 teachers are paid for less than their total years of actual experience because of the cap. Because of the complex way teachers are paid and the time it takes to gather the needed information about each person affected, the district still hasn't figured out what it will cost to lengthen the cap. But it likely will cost tens of thousands of dollars even if only a year or two were added each year for the next several years. Those reaching 10 years of tenure get a bigger increase, as do those who reach the highest rung on the salary scale after 16 years.