Miami-Dade Schools wants to raise taxes to pay teachers. How much will they get?

The Miami-Dade School Board last week spent nearly four hours in a closed-door session discussing strategies regarding salary negotiations with unions as well as how to divide the $232 million it hopes to raise should a property tax referendum pass Nov. 6.

More than a week later, those discussions have come to light: Board members agreed that 88 percent will go to teacher salaries and 12 percent will be set aside for hiring more police officers so that every school is covered.

The announced split means that the district and United Teachers of Dade can enter into bargaining with an idea of how to spend the $204 million on teachers, however a bargaining session has not yet been scheduled.

United Teachers of Dade President Karla Hernandez-Mats expects teachers who have at least an “effective” rating to be receiving at least a $5,000 supplement. Beyond the immediate benefit of fatter paychecks, the supplement would also count toward calculating retirement benefits for the roughly 19,000 teachers who are eligible.

If her estimate is close, there will still be millions more to give to teachers. Some teachers could see larger supplements. With or without the added money from the referendum, the union and district will still negotiate separate raises for teachers.

The average Miami-Dade teacher has worked 13 years in the district, and makes $51,819, according to state data. The median salary, however, is $46,174. That can be a challenge because Miami ranks as one of the nation’s least affordable metro areas for educators.

A yes vote will mean taxes for the average residential property will increase by about $140 in the first year. The property tax will cost $75 for every $100,000 of assessed taxable property.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates.

Contact Colleen Wright at 305-376-3003 and @Colleen_Wright.