HIALEAH GARDENS, Fla. (WFLA) — Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis announced a bill Wednesday that takes the state’s average minimum teacher salary from 26th in the nation to top five.
The governor made the announcement at the Mater Academy Charter School in Hialeah Gardens.
DeSantis said the bill will provide $400 million to increase teacher pay for the minimum earners in public and charter schools. The remaining hundred million dollars will be allocated to raise salaries of Florida’s veteran teachers.
The increase in pay will put Florida among the top five states in the nation for minimum teacher pay.
“COVID-19 has interrupted our students’ and teachers’ academic year in unprecedented ways,” DeSantis said. “Our teachers stepped up and found ways to keep our students learning and engaged these last few months to ensure students continued to receive the best education in the nation.”
Promise made, promise kept, said Senator Rob Bradley.
“In October, Governor DeSantis promised to fight for historic teacher raises,” Bradley said. “The governor and the legislature delivered. This truly is the “Year of the Teacher” in Florida.”
Reopening of Florida public schools in the fall remains on the agenda. Earlier this month, DeSantis and Commissioner of Education Richard Corcoran released the state’s recommendations for opening school districts later this year.
Corcoran was on hand for Wednesday’s bill signing.
“This historic legislation will continue to empower our teachers and foster lifelong success for our students,” he said. “Florida educators stepped up for their students through COVID-19 and once again proved Florida is the best state in the nation to get a world-class education.”
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