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Teachers across the state are still waiting for a pay increase months after lawmakers made extra money available. As Matt Horn reports, districts say the governor’s recommendation is difficult when the math doesn’t add up.

PKG:

14 of Florida’s 67 school districts still haven’t given raises to teachers. Governor Rick Scott pushed for teacher increases earlier this year.

“We need to do an across the board twenty five hundred dollar pay raise for each and every one of our classroom teachers,” said Florida Governor Rick Scott(R)

At one of Florida’s smallest districts, administrators have been negotiating over how much of a raise teachers will get. Jefferson County schools have had a hard time reaching an agreement because they say the math doesn’t add up.

“It comes to around $1,600 so the governor never sent down $2,500 for each teacher,” said Robert Lloyd, Chief Executive Officer of the Jefferson County school district.

School districts got the money to give every teacher a raise in July, but one out of every three districts has yet to deliver on the promise of a raise.

Republican State Representative Halsey Beshears voted in favor of the pay increase for teachers. He says he’s disappointed teachers in his home town still haven’t received pay increases.

“I do understand there are two sides to every story, but these teachers deserve the raises. They should have had this done before the school year started,” said Halsey.

Mark Pudlow, spokesman for Florida’s largest teacher union, says there are a number of reasons the 14 counties cut a deal on the increase.

“In some places the contract negotiations go well and go quickly. In other places its a little more contentious,” said Pudlow.

After a contract agreement is made, teachers will receive back pay going back to the beginning of the school year.