Appearing in Orange Park, Gov. Ron DeSantis announced Monday that he will approve $800 million to increase teacher salaries in an attempt to retain veteran educators and attract new ones.
Legislators included the money in the record $112 billion state budget approved last week. DeSantis is still reviewing the budget but said he will approve the portion for teacher salaries.
"We have to approve a lot of different things, but you can take this one to the bank," he said.
The governor and Education Commissioner Richard Corcoran made the announcement at Fleming Island Elementary School after a similar appearance at Renaissance Charter School in Wellington.
DeSantis said the money will go toward increasing the minimum salary for teachers across the state and also to support increased salaries for veteran teachers. He and Corcoran were not specific about how the money would be used for increase pay for more experienced teachers.
Around the country, school districts face critical teacher shortages brought on, in part, by the COVID-19 pandemic.
DeSantis said Florida is in position to address the shortages because it focused on opening schools and businesses during the pandemic, which he said contributed more revenue to the state's economy. Some teachers leaders counter that open schools actually drove some fearful teachers from the profession.
Either way, Clay County Superintendent David Broskie noted that as recently as the 2019 school year, starting teachers made $38,000 per year in his district. Now they’ll make more than $47,500, he said.
DeSantis said only 12% of school districts nationwide start teachers at $40,000 or more. In Florida, he said, 90% of districts are at that level now, and more will surpass it with the money approved this year.
In the past three years, DeSantis said, Florida has devoted more than $2 billion in increased compensation for teachers. The state last year granted $1,000 bonuses to educators and principals, using federal COVID-19 relief money distributed by the federal government.
Reporters asked DeSantis about Duval County's proposed 1-mill property tax increase to address the teacher shortage and fund other programs. The governor warned voters to be cautious.
"I've seen over the years where people say money will address these problems, but then it gets frittered away," he said. "You see it all the time. Not just in Florida, but around the country. I would tell voters to be very careful."
