Governor DeSantis to Move Forward on Teacher Raises
Right now, at 1:00 p.m. on May 4th, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis is giving a press conference to discuss the status of the state's education system and to announced some proposed changes to how we educate our kids. The bill being discussed will take effect on July 1st and will, first and foremost, raise teacher pay by distributing $500 million to our school teachers across the state of Florida. This money will go to both public and charter schools.
The bill, titled House Bill 641, has promised that $400 million of the $500 million will go to raising the base pay for full-time classroom teachers, and an additional $100 million for veteran teachers who've been around for years. Note, this legislation does not affect substitute teachers in the state, according to a FL.gov press release.
In what the DeSantis administration has called "a bold step," the aim is to provide a competitive edge in the teacher market. Many in DeSantis' camp have called the changes nothing shy of "historic."
During the press conference, DeSantis was surrounded by several parents clutching children in their arms, where they discussed the importance of Pre-K education, early education, and how Florida can do better at educating the youngest among us.
DeSantis emphasized the need for many different styles of teaching that facilitate many different styles of learning, noting that common core can't be the only way to learn. DeSantis already eliminated what he calls "crazy math," otherwise called Common Core math from the Florida curriculum, by executive order back in 2019. The Florida Governor replaced Common Core math with a B.E.S.T. standard. The standard is aimed to allow students to embrace a variety of different learning styles, something many parents have been in favor of since the implementation of Common Core standards in 2013 under Governor Rick Scott.
The B.E.S.T. standards for both English and math are effective for schools K-12.
DeSantis was amicable and personable, as always, and as he took questions, he made jokes about today's announcement of former Florida Governor Charlie Crist (who will take on DeSantis for the role of governor), and his demeanor was friendly. Governor DeSantis quipped, "Jeez, you know, what party is he running for this time? You know I hear he's voting a lot with Nancy Pelosi, he might as well just join the Green Party because that's where it seems like he's headed."
This is an obvious crack on the fact that former Florida Governor Charlie Crist initially ran as a Republican but then switched parties and has run twice since, as of today, on the Democratic ticket. It also pokes fun at Charlie Crist's longstanding record on environmentalism, something that many Floridians, including Governor DeSantis, take quite seriously.
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