WINTER GARDEN, Fla. – After 14 years in education, Samantha Lindstrom still needs a second job to make ends meet.
When she’s not teaching, Lindstrom tutors on the side at the Windermere Library. “I tutor as much as I can when I can find the clients,” she said.
Lindstrom moved from Arizona to Orange County in 2020, expecting her years of experience to carry over. Instead, she said her offer letter was a reality check.
“When I finally got my offer letter that said how much money I was going to be making, it was about $20,000 less. I was starting at a base salary,” Lindstrom explained.
Average teacher pay in Florida has climbed to about $56,000, but that’s still roughly $18,000 below the national average.
For many teachers, stretching a paycheck has become part of the job. “My birthday aligns with the start of the school year, so if I need school supplies, there’s my birthday presents.”
She says the financial strain goes beyond budgeting. “It is an emotional and mental burden to be almost 50 years old. I have five degrees and not be able to make a living because of the profession that I have chosen,” Lindstrom said.
News 6 Investigator Pavlina Osta compared the average teacher salary with the average cost of a one-bedroom apartment near schools across Central Florida, according to Zillow.
Using the standard financial guideline of spending no more than 30% of income on housing, a teacher earning the state average could afford about $1,400 a month in rent.
In many communities near Central Florida schools, that’s not enough:
Near Glenridge Middle: Average one-bedroom rent is about $2,000/month
Near Northlake Park and Laureate Park Elementary: Average rent is nearly $1,800/month
Near Dr. Phillips Elementary and Southwest Middle: Rent averages around $1,600/month
Lindstrom says the gap between what teachers earn and what landlords charge has pushed some educators to the breaking point.
“There was a time I thought of quitting in the middle of a school year. I have never been that close to walking away from a job. I didn’t know how I was gonna pay my bills. It was difficult,” Lindstrom said.
U.S. Congressman Darren Soto said he has sponsored a budget project to help fund affordable housing specifically for Orange County teachers, calling housing the biggest expense facing many educators in the region.
“For Florida’s 9th Congressional District, the median income is $82,000 a year household,” Soto said. “So if you have a teacher living by themselves, they’re literally under the median and struggling to live around here.”
Soto said keeping talented educators in the classroom depends on giving them a place to live near the schools where they teach. “If we want the best and brightest teachers, we need to make them have an ability to live near the schools they teach and be part of the community,” he said.
The latest state budget includes about $200 million for teacher pay. Unlike previous funding rounds, this cycle focuses on experienced educators, with eligible teachers receiving up to $3,000.