Teacher Salary Schedule

Come January, Denise Elbaum afford another $ 200 per month for health insurance for her two daughters.

As many teachers and employees of the Broward School District, the divorced mother has been hit with an increase of 46 percent to cover health care burden by Vista Healthplan. Going without insurance is not an option, she said, as his daughter has special medical needs.

She joined hundreds of other teachers, district employees and teachers from Broward Union officials Tuesday night on the sidewalk in front of the headquarters of the Broward School District, demanding higher wages and lower costs health insurance.

"I'll be doing less than me this year," said Elbaum, who teaches kindergarten at Forest Hills Elementary School in Coral Springs. "That's why I am here because of health insurance."

At the same time, the negotiation of teacher contracts have reached a standstill. District officials have said there is no money for raises. The union argues that it is money, and raises could be granted if the district reduced hours or have been directors not rehiring retired administrators. The union wants an average increase of 4 percent.

Contract negotiations also won last year, although the teachers finally received an average of 3.25 per cent increase. But not all teachers have received equal increments - received 71 dollars per year, while others as much as $ 9,300, depending on where they landed on the teacher salary schedule of the district. teachers from Broward earn a base salary of $ 39,300, while former top fighters $ 71,550 after 19 years with the district, according to the current contract.

Union President Pat Santeramo said he thinks taxpayers will support the installation, even if unemployment Broward has reached a record 9.8 percent in September, and 42 of the 394 teachers laid off during summer have not been recalled.

"I think it's a little different here [than] last year, the fact that the FBI did their investigation," said Santeramo. "We still hope that we will have a settlement."

Broward School Board member Beverly Gallagher was arrested Sept. 23 on charges of corruption of the federal government, accused of accepting bribes to steer construction contracts to favored firms. Prosecutors have also assigned documents relating to the repair of portable classrooms after Hurricane Wilma.

Susan Rose, a veteran teacher at Nob Hill Elementary School in Sunrise, said she thinks the district should find money for raises.

Rose said: "They have the wrong priorities."