Will he or won’t he sign a promised teacher pay raise into Florida law?
That’s been the question that educators around the state have asked about Gov. Ron DeSantis, who called 2020 the “year of the teacher” but then found himself confronted by a spiraling economy hit by COVID-19.
Florida TaxWatch, a think tank that espouses small government spending, called on the governor to delay the $500 million program that lawmakers sent his way. When asked — repeatedly — about the expense, DeSantis hedged.
“Teacher raises are important,” he said a week ago. “I said I’m going to veto some things in my budget, I’m not going to veto everything in my budget.”
Today, he’s expected to announce that the pay plan stays.
At a 2:30 p.m. news conference at a charter school in Hialeah Gardens, DeSantis is set to reveal his decision to sign HB 641, the compromise measure that the House and Senate crafted to push base teacher salaries toward $47,500 a year.
The plan benefits K-12 classroom teachers who earn less than that salary, while not providing as much for longtime teachers who make more. It does not offer extra money to non-classroom educators such as counselors and instructional coaches.
The proposal also eliminates the controversial Best and Brightest program that paid bonuses to thousands of educators. The program drew criticism because some thought its criteria was unfair and that the one-time nature of bonus money was not reliable.
Lawmakers used the nearly $300 million from the Best and Brightest budget to pay for the raise plan.
Florida Education Association vice president Andrew Spar was hopeful that the governor will sign the bill. He noted that the National Education Association’s annual rankings came out, and without the measure Florida’s average teacher pay dropped a spot, to 47th in the nation.
At the same time, teachers have worked hard to keep classes running throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to distance learning with almost no notice. And they’ll be asked to continue as state leaders look to schools reopening as a key to economic recovery.
“We know that our public schools right now are going to struggle at the beginning of the school year,” Spar said. “It’s going to be important that the state continues to do anything it can to retain and recruit teachers. This would be a good signal, to honor this commitment the Legislature made even during this difficult time.”
School district leaders have said they can get teacher pay much closer to the $47,500 mark that DeSantis sought, if the state budget remains intact. They have raised concerns, though, that the spending plan might be set in the fall, only to be cut in the winter, after elections occur and if revenue does not rebound.
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June 24, 2020 at 09:59AM
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DeSantis expected to sign teacher pay raises into Florida law - Tampa Bay Times
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