Memorial Middle teachers to earn $20K more this year
Teachers at Memorial Middle School will earn an extra $20,000 this coming year and those at five other schools could, too, if they win a state “schools of hope” grant meant to boost achievement on struggling campuses.
Deputy Superintendent Jesus Jara said Wednesday the district and the teachers union agreed to the one-year pay raise for teachers at Memorial, a D-rated school on the state’s “persistently low-performing schools” list.
That increased pay will be covered by the district, if Memorial doesn’t win a state grant. The $20,000 in extra pay will go to teachers at the five other schools — all D-rated elementary schools — only if they get the state funds, he said. Those schools are Catalina, Lake Weston, Lockhart, Rosemont and Tangelo Park elementary schools. To work at any of them and earn the extra money, teachers would need evaluations that pegged them as “effective” or better and would need to work an extra 30 minutes a day.
Late Tuesday, Orange officials announced the extra pay for Memorial teachers, then retracted that announcement to say Memorial teachers and those at the five elementary schools would get the raise only if grants were secured.
Jara said administrators and union leaders finalized an agreement Wednesday to give Memorial teachers the supplemental pay no matter what. The district agreed to use its federal Title 1 money — targeted to help students living in poverty — to cover those costs, if the school doesn’t get a grant. All of Memorial’s students are considered economically disadvantaged.
Memorial has earned a D on Florida’s school report card the last four years. With classes set to resume Aug. 14, the school still has 10 teacher vacancies, Jara said.
The district hopes the extra pay — which would be in effect only for the 2017-18 school year — will help attract and keep good teachers. The state is to award these grants to 25 schools statewide. The district must file its applications by Aug 15 and will find out Oct. 1 if its schools have won.