Photo: CBS 12
Palm Beach County's public school teachers will be getting a 3.5 percent raise.
It's the same amount recommended by an independent special magistrate.
The School District had rejected it, instead offering a 1.5 percent pay increase, which led to yesterday's impasse hearing.
Before yesterday's vote by the School Board, Superintendent Mike Burke explained that the larger raise could result in layoffs.
"As superintendent, I would like to be able to provide a larger salary increase for our teachers. But as superintendent, I have a broader responsibility to recommend what I believe is in the best interest of the entire school district."
Burke says the district is losing funding, because they're seeing the largest enrollment decline in history.
"By October we were down 6,000 students and by February, we were down 7,000 students. It translates to a loss of $66 million in annual operating revenues which is very difficult to recover from."
He blames the state.
"Our funding each year is determined in Tallahassee through the state's budget process. Frustration over teacher salaries should be directed to our state leaders. Florida's education funding ranks a dismal 46 out of 50 states in the nation."
The final vote in favor of that 3.5 percent pay hike was 6 to 1, with District 5 School Board member Glorida Branch dissenting. She voiced serious concerns about the layoffs that Burke warned the board about.