FLORIDA — Gov. Ron DeSantis announced several new education initiatives Monday while visiting a charter school in Jacksonville.
Among the announcements was a plan to ask for more teacher pay in the coming budget.
What You Need To Know
- Gov. Ron DeSantis announced several new education initiatives Monday
- Among the announcements was a plan to ask for more teacher pay in the coming budget
- The average starting teacher salary in Florida is currently $48,000
DeSantis said he wants to add $200 million to the state’s education budget to increase the average teacher salary in Florida, which currently is about $48,000 a year.
"The Governor is proposing an additional $200 million to continue raising teacher pay, bringing the total to $1 billion for teacher pay in his recommended budget for the next year," DeSantis' office said in a news release. "This $200 million increase over the current year’s budget will be provided to school districts with maximum flexibility to best fit the school district’s needs."
The governor also proposed creating a new program he called "teacher empowerment," comparing it to a teachers' bill of rights.
Included in his plan is a process for teachers to report a violation of their rights; a "stand your ground" provision "to protect teachers who are often judged unfairly for maintaining order and safety in their classrooms"; and a provision to allow civil suits for educators "punished by their employers for standing up for what is right."
He also said the state is looking to create new initiatives to protect teachers' paychecks by creating "more accountability and transparency for public sector unions."
One proposal would increase the required threshold for representation that allows unions to form from 50% to 60%. DeSantis also wants to allow state investigations into unions "suspected of fraud, waste and abuse," and require yearly audits and financial disclosures from all school unions.
DeSantis is also proposing term limits for school board members, saying 12 years too long.
"I think it should be eight-year term limits,” DeSantis said. “The fact of the matter is you get in there you have ideas. Eight years is enough to get your ideas in and to see some of the successes, or maybe things that you want to change."
He also said he wants to change school board elections by making them partisan.
DeSantis said he wants the people running to declare which political party they belong to, as opposed to now, where most school board elections in Florida are non-partisan.