Miami-Dade County Public Schools and the United Teachers of Dade have reached a tentative contract agreement that would increase teacher compensation, with an employee ratification vote scheduled for Wednesday, Oct. 28.

The agreement covers educators across the district, including those working in Palmetto Bay and Cutler Bay. It is not yet a fully ratified contract.

What the proposed raises include

For eligible teachers on a 10-month schedule, the proposed increases total approximately $2,000 for qualifying veteran teachers and $1,662 for those with fewer than 10 years of Florida public-school experience, according to the tentative agreement. Eligibility provisions include having worked a qualifying year. Amounts differ for employees on longer work schedules.

The veteran-teacher amount combines approximately $1,142 in state-funded salary increases or matching supplements with an $858 referendum-funded supplement. The less-experienced group would receive supplements totaling approximately $1,662.

The agreement's salary table lists a $50,150 minimum base salary for 10-month teachers, before referendum supplements. The supplements are separate from base pay.

The Miami Herald reported Oct. 21 that the agreement also preserves employees' healthcare costs. School employees covered by the union must approve the deal in an in-person paper-ballot vote Oct. 28.

What November's tax vote would decide

This school year's referendum funding is already secured, the Herald reported. The Nov. 3 renewal vote concerns continued funding after the existing tax authorization expires June 30, 2027.

The School Board's referendum resolution calls for continuing the one-mill levy from July 1, 2027, through June 30, 2031. It supports teacher and instructional-personnel compensation and school safety, including at public charter schools, with citizen oversight.

The board's resolution says 88% of current referendum funding supports teacher salaries and 12% supports safety. It estimated the renewed levy could generate $585 million annually.

A one-mill levy equals $1 for each $1,000 of taxable property value. For example, $300,000 in taxable value produces a $300 annual charge. Taxable value is not the same as a property's market value.

If the renewal fails and supplements disappear, district officials project average teacher compensation could fall by $15,216, from $73,030 to $57,814, the Miami Times reported. That is an average projection, not an automatic pay cut of that amount for every teacher. Whether other funding could replace the supplements remains uncertain.

Statewide pay context

The National Education Association's 2026 report lists Florida's average teacher salary at $56,663 for the 2024–25 school year, the second-lowest among states.