ORLANDO, Fla. — Morgan & Morgan is filing a class-action lawsuit against the Florida Department of Education over teacher bonus pay.
- Bonuses to teachers were lower than promised, law firm says
- Education Department says it won't comment on pending litigation
- View the lawsuit here
Attorneys with the law firm say state teachers got bonuses from the Best and Brightest Teacher Scholarship Program that were lower than promised because of employer taxes and other payroll expenses.
The law firm says millions of dollars have been taken away from more than 100,000 teachers who qualify for bonus pay.
"Teachers in the state of Florida are routinely underpaid, 46th in salaries, $12,000 below the national average. So teacher pay is very important; teachers should be paid more," said Ryan Morgan of the law firm.
The law firm said it's hopeful the Department of Education will agree to pay back what is owed teachers.
"As a general practice, we do not comment on pending litigation," said Cheryl Etters, deputy director of communications for the Florida Department of Education, wrote to Spectrum News in an email Wednesday morning.
Spectrum News' Anthony Leone contributed to this story.