Members of the Leon Classroom Teachers Association attended Tuesday's school board meeting to voice the shortfalls of their current salaries.

Melissa Olson, a gifted and talented teacher at DeSoto Trail Elementary School, was announced as the 2024-25 Teacher of the Year Monday morning.

The teachers’ union expressed that negotiations with the school district highlighted the district’s lack of understanding of the realities teachers face.

Failure to reach an agreement on Leon County teacher salary negotiations means a Special Magistrate will now step in. The district says the process of finding that third-party official is already underway.