Puerto Rico to increase teachers' salaries by $1K a month

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — Puerto Rico’s governor announced Monday that all public school teachers will receive a temporary $1,000 monthly salary increase starting in July as he promised to make it permanent.

The move comes just days after 70% of teachers left their classrooms and joined a protest to demand higher wages, better pensions and improved working conditions. Another protest is scheduled for later this month.

“For years, we’ve truly been waiting for this moment,” said Víctor Bonilla, president of the Puerto Rico Teachers’ Association, which represents some 25,000 teachers.

The base salary of public school teachers in Puerto Rico is $1,750 a month, a number that hasn’t budged in 13 years. While some teachers praised Monday’s announcement, union leaders noted that they are still seeking a base salary of $3,500 a month.

Giovanna Ostolaza, who teaches 8th and 9th grade English at a school in the capital of San Juan, said it's very hard to live on a teacher's salary, especially for those who have families. She also worried that the governor might not come through on his promise to make the increase permanent.

“They have to prioritize education,” she said. “These are people essential to society.”

Puerto Rico economist José Caraballo-Cueto noted that utilities are nearly 60% more expensive in Puerto Rico than the U.S. average, and groceries are 18% more expensive. However, healthcare and housing costs, among others, are lower in comparison, according to Puerto Rico’s Institute of Statistics.

The teachers' association and others had rejected a smaller wage increase recently approved by a federal control board overseeing Puerto Rico’s finances and the U.S. territory’s exit from bankruptcy.

Teachers would have seen an average increase of 27% compared with what they...