Florida SB 1272: Instructional Personnel and School Administrator Salaries

Bill Text

1272 
Instructional Personnel and School Administrator Salaries 
2026-01-06T11:39:25Z 
Citing this act as the “Save Our Teachers Act”; increasing the minimum base salary for certain teachers; revising the definition of the term “minimum base salary”; requiring school districts to provide a specified plan to the Department of Education beginning on a specified date; providing requirements for school districts relating to salary structures and schedules; requiring that performance salary schedules include step-based salary increases and compression relief supplements, etc. 
Original Filed Version 
2026 
S 
2026-07-01T00:00:00Z 
GB 
General Bill 
__ 

 Florida Senate - 2026 SB 1272 

 By Senator Davis 

 5-01495A-26 20261272__ 
 1 A bill to be entitled 
 2 An act relating to instructional personnel and school 
 3 administrator salaries; providing a short title; 
 4 amending s. 1011.62, F.S.; increasing the minimum base 
 5 salary for certain teachers; revising the purpose of 
 6 the salary increase for classroom teachers and other 
 7 instructional personnel; revising requirements for 
 8 funding for the increase; revising the definition of 
 9 the term “minimum base salary”; revising the 
 10 requirements for specified school district reporting 
 11 requirements beginning on a specified date; requiring 
 12 school districts to provide a specified plan to the 
 13 Department of Education beginning on a specified date; 
 14 providing requirements for the plan; providing charter 
 15 school requirements relating to such plan; requiring 
 16 the department to establish and oversee a phased 
 17 implementation of specified requirements; providing 
 18 requirements for such implementation; requiring the 
 19 department to provide specified grants to certain 
 20 school districts and charter schools for specified 
 21 purposes; amending s. 1012.22, F.S.; providing 
 22 requirements for school districts relating to salary 
 23 structures and schedules; requiring that performance 
 24 salary schedules include step-based salary increases 
 25 and compression relief supplements; providing 
 26 requirements for such increases and supplements; 
 27 providing that certain duties qualify as additional 
 28 academic responsibilities; conforming a cross 
 29 reference; providing an effective date. 
 30 
 31 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida: 
 32 
 33 Section 1. This act may be cited as the “Save Our Teachers 
 34 Act.” 
 35 Section 2. Subsection (14) of section 1011.62, Florida 
 36 Statutes, is amended to read: 
 37 1011.62 Funds for operation of schools.—If the annual 
 38 allocation from the Florida Education Finance Program to each 
 39 district for operation of schools is not determined in the 
 40 annual appropriations act or the substantive bill implementing 
 41 the annual appropriations act, it shall be determined as 
 42 follows: 
 43 (14) CLASSROOM TEACHER AND OTHER INSTRUCTIONAL PERSONNEL 
 44 SALARY INCREASE.— 
 45 (a) The Legislature shall annually apportion an amount of 
 46 funds provided in the Florida Education Finance Program to: 
 47 1. Assist school districts and charter schools in their 
 48 compliance with the requirement that the minimum base salary for 
 49 full-time classroom teachers, as defined in s. 1012.01(2)(a), 
 50 and certified prekindergarten teachers funded in the Florida 
 51 Education Finance Program is at least $65,000 $47,500 or to 
 52 provide salary increases to instructional personnel, as defined 
 53 in s. 1012.01(2)(a)-(d), in a manner that best meets the needs 
 54 of the school district or charter school. 
 55 2. Assist with school districts and charter schools in 
 56 addressing salary compression pursuant to this subsection and s. 
 57 1012.22(1)(c). 
 58 3. Provide funding for an annual cost-of-living adjustment 
 59 and longevity pay for experienced teachers. 
 60 (b) This subsection does not apply to substitute teachers. 
 61 The amount and distribution methodology for the funding shall be 
 62 specified in the General Appropriations Act, including a 
 63 methodology that accounts for the number of experienced teachers 
 64 and their years of service. The allocation must be sufficient to 
 65 adjust the entire salary schedule. 
 66 (c)(a) The term “minimum base salary” means the lowest 
 67 annual base salary reported on the salary schedule for a full 
 68 time classroom teacher, with additional considerations for 
 69 regional economic conditions and salary progression for 
 70 experienced classroom teachers. A full-time classroom teacher 
 71 may not receive a salary less than the minimum base salary as 
 72 adjusted by this subsection. 
 73 (d)(b) A school district or charter school shall maintain 
 74 the minimum base salary achieved for classroom teachers provided 
 75 in the prior fiscal year and may not reduce the salary increases 
 76 in any subsequent fiscal year. 
 77 (e)(c) Before distributing any additional funds received 
 78 over the pri