Florida’s teacher shortage is improving. That’s in part thanks to new incentives at the state and local level that make it easier to attract new teachers and retain veteran ones.
The Florida Department of Corrections is doing its part to fill open teacher positions in its agency, by providing a one-time $1,000 hiring bonus.
Teachers aides, career and technical education teachers, adult education teachers, and special ed teachers who are hired at an FDC facility will receive these bonuses.
Director of Programs and Re-Entry Amy Frizzell says certified teachers start at $51,500 dollars a year, and the work they do has a lasting impression on the students they teach.
“When you talk to these individuals that have been previously incarcerated with us, the one thing that they will tell you is that someone changed their life, and many times that is the correctional educator,” said Frizzell. “The heart of educators, as everyone knows, is immeasurable. They want to see good, and they want to do good, and the work that's done inside of our facilities by our correctional educators is unmatched.”
Frizzell said FDC is looking to fill 55 vacancies at 50 correctional facilities throughout the state. Educators teach a wide range of topics from reading skills and math to career and technical education that may include training in cosmetology, computer coding, and welding.
“There is a very broad spectrum, but our academic educators focus more on adult basic education and GED preparation,” said Frizzell.
Teachers with the FDC are eligible for full state benefits, including retirement and paid training. And people without their teacher certification can still be hired on a contingent basis as long as they can prove they are working on getting their credential.
As state workers, anyone hired by the FDC whose working on their certification or other degrees can apply for tuition reimbursement up to six credit hours a semester.
The FDC isn’t the only group providing incentives to attract and retain teachers in Florida’s educational institutions.
Governor Ron DeSantis has proposed a record $29.7 billion dollars for education in this year’s state budget. $1.5 billion dollars are earmarked for teacher salaries in K-12 schools in the state and another $10 million will provide bonuses for K-12 teachers who complete the Florida Civics Seal of Excellence.
Several Central Florida colleges and universities including Valencia College and Daytona State College have also joined these recruitment efforts by offering new teacher training programs.
At the midway point of the year, there were some 3,000 open teaching positions in Florida. That’s an improvement from the same time last year, when there were more than 4,000 teacher vacancies in the state.
Despite these positive advancements on the teacher shortage front, the number of educators who are teaching subjects or at grade levels they’re not certified to teach has continued to rise in Florida.
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