Hillsborough High School Students Protest Over Teacher Pay

TAMPA, FL — Masses of students marched out of their Hillsborough County high schools Wednesday morning in support of teachers embroiled in a tense dispute with officials over pay increase.

Alonso, Robinson, Johnson and Sickles were among the schools involved in the protest, according to multiple news outlets. Some students donned black outfits as part of the demonstration as hundreds left their classes.

WFLA reported that teachers were promised pay raises under a new salary scheme devised by the district, according to teachers who spoke to the station anonymously. The new system was supposed to provide teachers with salary increases on a merit basis, but teachers said the raises haven't materialized. Some said they have been promised raises up to $4,000.

In a statement, the district pushed back on the suggestion that teachers have not been treated fairly. However, it does not specifically dispute the charge that promised raises have been denied.

"We have given our staff raises for the great work they do with students," the district said. "Our district has given our employees more than $200 million in pay and benefits increases over the past four years, despite a district financial picture that was not promising. The average pay for a Hillsborough County teacher is now the second-highest in the Tampa Bay Area and the eighth-highest in the State of Florida."

Students wielded protest slogans, saying, "My Teacher, My Future," "#Praise the Raise" and "The Revolution Has Begun."

"We do it for them because they do it for us," one student tweeted.

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