Broward teachers are finishing a contract year with no district-funded raise, and starting in December, two of the district’s three health plans will cost them money every paycheck. The 2026-27 budget does not guarantee a raise either. Much of what comes next depends on a property-tax vote on Nov. 3.

For years, Broward County teachers could at least count on one thing: district health insurance that cost them nothing out of pocket in premiums. That ends this winter.

Under the 2025-26 contract the Broward County School Board approved in June, teachers got no raise from the district, according to the Miami Herald. The same contract requires employees who choose either of the two richer health plans to start paying premiums through payroll deduction. Board members told the Herald they regretted the outcome and blamed thin state funding and the district’s finances.

The district, the country’s sixth-largest, says it is facing an $80 million shortfall driven by years of falling enrollment.

What Changes in Teachers’ Paychecks

Broward offers three district health plans: Premier Choice, Premier and Premier Plus. According to the Broward Teachers Union, employees who pick Premier or Premier Plus will begin paying “a nominal amount” after open enrollment in October 2026, with deductions starting in December 2026. Premier Choice stays free. Employees who opt out of district insurance and show proof of other coverage get $1,000 a year from the district.

Neither the union nor the district has published the final premium chart in the materials we reviewed. When the district first proposed premiums in February, it said they would be tied to base salary. As an example, it said the middle plan would cost $25 a month and the top plan $45 a month for an employee earning under $25,000, WLRN reported. Higher earners would pay more under that structure. Teachers should check their own tier in the open-enrollment materials before deductions start.

The premiums were the sticking point in bargaining. Talks hit an impasse in February over health insurance, according to WLRN. The union had earlier countered with no premiums for Premier Plus members earning under $100,000, which the district did not accept.

Teachers did ratify the deal, but not by much. According to the Herald, 57% of the union’s education professionals unit voted yes. The two support-staff units approved it by at least 70%.

“No Raise” Has a Footnote

The district did not fund a raise in 2025-26. That is not quite the same as teachers seeing zero increase.

The state’s Teacher Salary Increase Allocation, money the Legislature sends districts specifically for teacher pay, produced an average 0.55% increase for Broward teachers in 2025-26, a district spokesperson told the Herald. For 2026-27, the union reached a tentative agreement in July to distribute the next round of state money. Under it, eligible teachers with 10 to 16 years of Florida experience would get about $1,000, and those with 17 to 32 years about $2,000, according to the BTU. The union said a ratification vote would take place in September.

That state money is fixed by formula, and the district cannot add to it. Any raise beyond it has to come from Broward’s own budget, and that is where the district says it has nothing to spare.

The Budget Behind It

Broward has lost more than 38,000 students since 2017-18, according to the district, and state funding follows enrollment. The first day of the 2026-27 school year brought 11,000 fewer students than the year before, WLRN reported, which the outlet said equates to about $100 million less in funding.

The board has been cutting to catch up. It closed six schools under its “Redefining Our Schools” plan, according to the Herald. In May, it voted 7-2 to eliminate about 1,000 positions to save about $54 million. About 700 of those jobs were vacant and 300 were filled, according to WLRN. The district has said most of the cuts were aimed at central-office roles. But the list also included 38 of the district’s 40 student support instructional specialists, who travel between schools to flag students’ mental health needs. The board has directed the superintendent to cut 1,000 positions a year for three years.

In September, the board passed the $4.7 billion 2026-27 budget 6-2 without a guaranteed raise. Board member Debbie Hixon voted no after pushing for at least 4%. Adam Cervera, who wanted 7%, also voted no. “I am tired of the broken promises from this district,” Cervera said, according to WLRN. Superintendent Howard Hepburn said the budget could be amended later if savings make room for a 4% raise.

What the Nov. 3 Vote Means for Pay

On the Nov. 3 ballot, Broward voters will decide whether to renew the one-mill school property tax they first approved in 2022. The district says the current levy pays for about $173 million a year in pay supplements for teachers and eligible staff. It says losing the levy would cost about $358 million a year in total.

In May, the board voted unanimously to steer about $254.3 million of the renewed levy toward school-based employees, mainly teachers, WLRN reported. How that money is split would be negotiated with the unions. The renewal would run from January 2027 through December 2030.

Union president Anna Fusco has said the referendum is needed but was never meant to replace district raises. If it fails, “there will be a catastrophe,” she told WLRN.

What This Means for Teachers in Broward

For a teacher on Premier or Premier Plus, December brings a new deduction on top of a salary that the district did not raise. Moving to Premier Choice keeps premiums at zero, but teachers should compare the plans’ coverage and out-of-pocket costs before switching, since they differ.

Inside schools, the cuts land on fewer adults. A hiring freeze and the loss of most of the district’s roving mental health specialists mean more of that work falls back on classroom teachers and the counselors who remain.

Florida’s average teacher salary was $56,600 in 2025, against a national average of $74,400, according to the National Education Association figures cited by WLRN. Broward’s next pay decision now runs through the ballot box and the bargaining table that follows it.

Frequently Asked Questions

Did Broward teachers get a raise this year?

Not from the district. The 2025-26 contract included no district-funded raise. Teachers received an average 0.55% increase from the state’s Teacher Salary Increase Allocation. The 2026-27 budget also passed without a guaranteed raise.

Which Broward health plans now cost money?

Premier and Premier Plus. Premiums start with payroll deductions in December 2026, after October open enrollment. Premier Choice remains free.

How much will the premiums be?

The union describes them as “nominal” and they are tied to salary. The district’s February proposal gave $25 and $45 a month as examples for employees earning under $25,000. Check your enrollment materials for your own amount.

What happens if the Nov. 3 referendum fails?

The district says it would lose about $358 million a year, including roughly $173 million that now pays supplements for teachers and eligible staff.