Lee County teachers say school district not paying strong wages

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Seal of the School District of Lee County. Photo via WINK News.
Seal of the School District of Lee County. Credit: WINK News.

Teachers are fired up. They say executives in Lee County’s school district are getting raises while they struggle to take care of their families.

Kevin Daly, president of the teachers association in Lee County, said Lee County Public Schools is having issues paying it teachers a fair wage.

“I have a wife and children,” Daly said. “And it’s very difficult to make ends meet on the salaries, I absolutely agree, which is why I continue to fight every day.”

The Lee County School Board recently approved raises for several executive positions. An HR director is getting more than a $30,000 bump in pay.

Board Member Chris Patriccia said the raises are necessary.

“My job is to look at what the market dictates for employees at every level of the district and find that balance between what the public will except in terms of expenditure of tax dollars,” Patriccia said. “And what do I need to pay in order to keep them here in the School District of Lee County?”

Wednesday night Patriccia held a private meeting with some teachers and staff to explain why certain district employees received raises.

Daly said some teachers shared split feelings toward the explanations they got during the meeting.

“I think some of them feel better,” Daly said. “I think some of them may not feel better, but this is the first step in our process, kind of telling the district how they feel and what the district can do to better make them feel appreciated, perhaps compensated better.”

Patriccia said they’ve gotten teachers up to the fifty-fifth percentile in the state. Their goal is to have them in the seventy-fifth percentile in the future. She’s trying to make things better all-around

The school board is currently negotiating a new contract for teachers pay. Patriccia said state funding also plays a major role in teacher incomes. She said they are not receiving enough money from Tallahassee to give teachers what they desire.

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