Puerto Rico Public School Teachers to Get a $1K Salary Increase per Month

Public school teachers in Puerto Rico will be getting a temporary salary increase worth $1,000 monthly starting in July.

Governor Pedro Pierluisi made the announcement on Monday. He promised to make the said salary increase permanent, according to an NBC News report.

Víctor Bonilla, president of the Puerto Rico Teachers' Association, said that they have been waiting for this moment for years. The association represents around 25,000 teachers.

Earlier, 70 percent of teachers left their classrooms to protest and demand higher wages, better pensions, as well as improved working.

Broadcast journalist Adriana Rozas Rivera tweeted about the protest of public school teachers in Puerto Rico.

The standard salary of public school teachers in Puerto Rico is $1,750 a month. The amount of their salary has not changed in 13 years.

Some praised the recent increase in public school teachers' salaries. However, union leaders noted that they are still seeking a base salary of $3,500 a month.

Puerto Rico economist José Caraballo-Cueto said that utilities are around 60 percent more expensive in Puerto Rico as compared to the U.S. on average.

Caraballo-Cueto noted that groceries are 18 percent more expensive.

Puerto Rico Public School Teachers

Giovanna Ostolaza teaches eighth and ninth grade English at a school in the capital of San Juan. She said that it is very hard to live on a teacher's salary, particularly for those who have families.

Ostolazaz also expressed worries over the governor's promise to make the salary increase permanent, according to an ABC News Go report.

She said that officials need to prioritize education as teachers are people essential to society.

Joalice Santiago teaches Spanish and Science to fourth and fifth graders. She said that they are "tired of not being recognized."

Santiago said that she tutors after school to improve her salary, adding that many teachers are doing the same, working two or three jobs to make ends meet, according to another NBC News report.

She added that many teachers at her school closed their classrooms to join the protection with the school director's support.

Santiago noted that many teachers across the island are forced to paint their own classrooms or procure fans as the government does not give enough resources.

The cost of food, power, and water increases as the island struggles to go back up from bankruptcy and recover from Hurricane Maria.

On February 5, hundreds of teachers across Puerto Rico took to the streets to demand higher pay.

Puerto Rico's Department of Education announced that some 5,000 teachers, or about 25 percent of those working in public schools, were absent.

Pierluisi said his administration respects the right to freedom of expression, promising that his administration is still working to secure even higher increases for all public servants.

Sybaris Morales Paniagua is the interim general for the teachers' association. She said that they will ensure the increase is made permanent as part of a collective agreement still being discussed.

Paniagua said that the governor told them he has also identified funds to increase teacher pension plans.

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Mary Webber

WATCH: Puerto Rico: New protests by teachers for their demands - from TeleSUR English