Where I Stand on Teacher Support
- Curtis Campogni
- 24 hours ago
- 4 min read
By Curtis Campogni, Candidate for Pinellas County School Board (District 3 – At-Large)
Everyone says ‘support teachers.’
The problem is, we don’t all mean the same thing when we say it.
The topic becomes talking points, budget lines, or headlines that sound good but don’t always reflect what’s actually happening on the ground.
Because the reality is, most teachers didn’t choose this profession for the paycheck or the recognition.
They chose it because they’re willing to give a part of themselves to help students succeed.
And when we miss that, we miss the entire point of this conversation.
The Problem
Teacher salaries in Florida have not kept up with the cost of living. That’s real, and it needs to be addressed.
But if we stop there, we’re oversimplifying the issue, and I’ve seen what this looks like in real life.
I once worked with a case manager who had to leave her position in a helping profession, not because she didn’t care about the work, but because of how the system was structured.
She made just enough to no longer qualify for childcare assistance, but not enough to actually afford childcare.
So she took a lower-paying job just to be able to care for her child.
Think about that.
Someone committed to helping others had to step away, not because of a lack of passion, but because the system made it unsustainable.
That same dynamic exists in education.
Teachers are being asked to give more, work longer hours, navigate increasing expectations, and manage challenges that extend far beyond the classroom.
And over time, something starts to shift.
In my experience, burnout doesn’t happen simply because the job is hard.
It happens when the effort no longer feels connected to the impact.
When the weekends, the after-hours work, the pressure, and the bureaucracy begin to outweigh the reason they became a teacher in the first place.
That’s when we start losing people.
What We’re Getting Wrong
We often talk about teacher shortages as a recruitment problem.
In my experience, it’s a retention problem first.
Across workforce development, juvenile justice, and child welfare, I’ve seen the same pattern over and over again.
People enter these professions because they want to help others, often because someone once helped them.
But the moment they begin to feel like they can’t make a difference anymore, the weight of the job gets heavier.
And when that happens, people leave.
Not because they don’t care.
But because they feel like they can’t do what they came there to do.
And when they leave, that impact doesn’t stop with them.
It carries over to the students who relied on them.
The Path Forward
We need to move beyond short-term fixes and build something sustainable.
That starts with compensation, not just raising starting salaries, but creating a structure that:
keeps pace with the cost of living
values and retains experienced teachers
creates a realistic long-term career path
Because right now, we’re solving recruitment at the front end while creating retention challenges on the back end.
But pay alone isn’t enough.
Teachers don’t just leave because of salary. They leave when they don’t feel heard, supported, or able to do the job they came to do.
Support has to be real and felt in the day-to-day experience.
That means:
creating a culture where teachers can speak openly and safely
ensuring leadership responds with action, not silence
giving teachers a meaningful role in shaping solutions
backing them up when challenges arise
If we improve the experience of being a teacher, recruitment will follow.
What I Will Do
This isn’t something that gets solved in one meeting or one budget cycle. It requires consistency. As a School Board Member, I will focus on both structure and experience.
On the structural side:
Advocate for teacher pay to remain a top priority in budget discussions
Ask for transparency in how funds are allocated and prioritized
Support agreements that balance starting salaries with long-term retention
On the experience side:
Host regular opportunities for teachers and staff to share feedback directly
Stay accessible and responsive beyond formal meetings
Show up in schools when concerns persist and work toward solutions on-site
Because support is not a statement. It’s something people should be able to feel.
Recruitment and Retention
Fewer people are choosing to become teachers, and one of the biggest warning signs is when former educators discourage others from entering the field.
That tells us something deeper is happening.
We need to strengthen both the reality and the perception of the profession.
That includes:
building stronger “grow your own” pathways
partnering with local colleges and workforce programs
identifying where we lose candidates in the hiring process
creating clearer, more supported entry points into teaching
At the same time, retention has to be treated as a priority, not an afterthought.
People stay where they feel:
heard
supported
and like they are making an impact
That’s not complicated, but it does require consistency.
Where I Stand
Teachers aren’t entering this profession to push an agenda. They’re choosing a career that asks them to give a part of themselves to others. But right now, too much of this conversation feels like an “us vs. them” dynamic.
Teachers versus leadership. Staff versus district. Expectations versus reality.
That approach does not lead to solutions.
If we want to move forward, it has to be built on collaboration and empathy.
Because at the end of the day:
People don’t stay because they have to. They stay because they feel valued and because they believe their work still matters.
If we get that right, everything else starts to improve.
If you’d like to support a campaign focused on ideas like this, your support, in any form, truly makes a difference.
Disclaimer: The views expressed here are solely those of Curtis Campogni, Candidate for Pinellas County School Board, District 3 (At-Large), and do not represent the official position of any organization or governing body.
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