This is how Miami-Dade veteran teacher Michael Floyd feels about the career he chose: “Teachers are very important to the community.”

They are indeed. 

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Since 2021, NBC6 and Telemundo 51 have joined forces to survey teachers across South Florida. We’ve heard from thousands of educators over the years. They’ve shared their views on key issues impacting them and their students - from safety and staff shortages to controversial laws and concerns about salary.

Every year, our team asks the United Teachers of Dade (UTD) and the Broward Teachers Union (BTU) to distribute the survey to make sure the participants are teachers. The unions have no editorial control over the questions.

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Teachers had from August 7 until August 26 to complete the survey this school year. Nearly 1,000 teachers participated (68% from Broward; 32% from Miami-Dade County). More than half of them have been teaching for over 20 years. 

These are the results:

Staff Shortages 

We have included this question in our annual survey since 2022. Most teachers have reported staff shortages: 79% in 2022, 75% in 2023 and 63% in 2024.

“I have 193 students this year. It is close to impossible to do a great job with this case load…” a Miami-Dade high school teacher wrote in a comment.

“Teacher shortage left most of us having to shoulder the load and this impacts students' learning,” another teacher wrote.

When asked if they feel the school district is providing enough support to deal with the shortages, 75% responded no. 

School Safety

Nearly 80% of the teachers who completed the survey said they feel safe on campus. That’s a slight increase from last year, when 74% responded the same. The survey was completed before the Apalachee High School shooting in Georgia and recent school threats. 

Most participants said the school district is doing enough to keep students and teachers safe. The opposite is true when asked about state leaders.

Most of the teachers who participated in our annual survey support having metal detectors in Broward and Miami-Dade public schools. 

Salary/Affordability

Nearly 1,000 teachers responded to our survey, and the biggest concern, by far, was the difficulty of making a living in South Florida. 

“We rent; we don’t own. We have one car,” said Gina Pineda, a veteran teacher at Wilton Manors Elementary School. “I know that I’ll never be able to buy a home in Broward County, when I’ve been here so long, that’s just hard to justify, it’s hard to continue on.” 

“I have a master's degree and my base salary is not even $54,000,” another teacher wrote.

Affordability was also a top concern for teachers who participated in our survey last year.

Most teachers said they’ve considered leaving the profession. Last year, 74% responded the same.

“So many teachers, including teachers teaching for more than a decade, have to take more than one job, side jobs, just to pay for rent, for transportation to school to teach the community’s children,” said Natan Samuels, a teacher at Jose Marti MAST Academy.

“The district needs to raise salaries so we can continue in this profession,” another one said.

Cellphones & Social Media

While they overwhelmingly support restricting cellphones in the classroom, most said it's difficult to enforce policies regarding their use.

The majority of teachers are concerned about the potential impact of social media on their students’ mental health. More than a third (36%) said phones are a constant distraction for their students in the classroom. 

State Laws 

We also asked teachers if they have any concerns about state laws restricting instruction involving race, gender identity and sexuality. 76% said they do. But more than half (53%) said they don’t believe the recent laws are getting in the way of their teaching. 

Last year, 68% of those who participated in our survey had a different view, saying they believe the changes would limit their ability to teach students.

The “Parental Rights in Education” bill, which some opponents call “Don’t Say Gay,” was signed into law two years ago and led to a lawsuit settlement this year. But when asked if the district has provided guidance about the implementation of this law, more than 65% of survey participants said no. 

Most said they don’t feel history is being taught accurately, following changes in curriculum.