Broward Teachers Offered a 0.55% Raise — After Refusing to Work for Free

After months of tension, stalled negotiations, and growing frustration among educators, Broward County teachers are now being presented with a 0.55% raise — yes, just over one-half of one percent.

This comes after Broward’s Democrat-controlled leadership failed in its attempt to force teachers to work without a contract, effectively asking professionals to continue educating our children with no guaranteed pay increases, no finalized terms, and no respect for the value of their labor.

Let’s be clear:Teachers did not refuse to work.They refused to work for free.

And for that, they are now being offered what amounts to a symbolic raise funded through the state’s Teacher Salary Increase Allocation (TSIA), not a bold commitment from local leadership.

0.55% Is Not Support — It’s an Insult

In a time of:

• Rising inflation

• Increased classroom demands

• Higher healthcare and living costs

• Greater accountability requirements

A 0.55% raise does not even keep pace with the cost of living — it barely registers on a paycheck.

This offer is especially embarrassing coming from a political party that regularly claims to be the champion of labor unions, public education, and teachers. The rhetoric does not match the reality.

You cannot campaign on “supporting educators” while:

• Delaying negotiations

• Attempting to operate schools without a contract

• Then presenting a fractional raise as a victory

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State Funds, Local Failure

It’s important to note that this raise is tied to state-allocated TSIA funds, not a generous or proactive move by local Democrat leadership. These funds exist because the state required them, not because Broward officials suddenly decided teachers deserved more.

In other words:

• The money was already there

• The obligation already existed

• And the result is still just 0.55%

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Teachers Deserve Better

Teachers are professionals.They shape future workers, voters, leaders, and entrepreneurs.They deserve respect, fair contracts, and meaningful compensation — not political posturing and last-minute minimalism.

If Broward’s leadership truly supported teachers, this moment would look very different.

Instead, it exposes a widening gap between political slogans and actual outcomes.

And Broward teachers — and parents — are paying attention. Teacing: The profession where one is guranteed to loose money every year one teaches.

Below is a clear, numbers-based explanation you can use in a blog post, presentation, or talking points to show how inflation erodes teacher pay and why a 0.55% increase is effectively a pay cut.

Inflation vs. a 0.55% Raise: The Real Cost to Teachers

A 0.55% salary increase sounds positive on paper — until it’s compared to the real cost of inflation. When inflation rises faster than wages, workers lose purchasing power, meaning they can buy less with their paycheck than before.

What Is Inflation Doing to Teacher Pay?

Over the past several years, inflation has averaged roughly 3–4% annually, with some years significantly higher. Even using a conservative 3.5% inflation rate, the math is simple:

• Inflation: ~3.5%

• Proposed raise: 0.55%

• Real wage loss: ≈ 3.0%

That means teachers are effectively earning 3% less in real terms, even after the raise.

Real-World Example

Let’s look at a teacher earning $55,000 per year.

0.55% Raise

• Annual increase: $302.50

• Monthly increase: ≈ $25.20 (before taxes)

Inflation Impact at 3.5%

• Annual increase in cost of living: $1,925

• Monthly added cost: ≈ $160

Net Result

• $302 raise – $1,925 inflation = –$1,622

• The teacher is $1,600+ behind after the “raise.”

This is not a raise.It is a pay cut disguised as progress.

Where Teachers Feel the Loss First

Inflation doesn’t hit evenly — it hits essentials hardest:

• Housing: Rent, insurance, property taxes

• Transportation: Gas, insurance, repairs

• Food: Groceries rising faster than CPI averages

• Healthcare: Premiums and out-of-pocket costs

Teachers don’t have the luxury of reducing these costs. They must absorb them.

Why This Matters Long-Term

When wages fail to keep pace with inflation:

• Teachers fall behind every single year

• Savings and retirement contributions shrink

• Second jobs become necessary

• Experienced teachers leave the profession

• Students lose continuity and mentorship

A profession already struggling with retention cannot afford symbolic raises.

The Bottom Line

A 0.55% increase in a 3–4% inflation environment is not support — it’s erosion.

• Teachers lose purchasing power

• Families feel the squeeze

• Classrooms pay the price

If leaders truly value education, compensation must at least match inflation, not trail it by a wide margin.

Anything less is not a raise —it’s a step backward.

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