Teacher Pay

The Hillsborough County School Board delayed a vote on a tax referendum that would raise money for teacher salaries.

State level data shows that Florida teachers are being paid 20.4% less than other college-educated workers.

The tentative deal would raise wages for more experienced teachers and lift a salary cap, priorities that the teachers union stressed throughout negotiations.

As school districts in the area work to fill bus driver vacancies, some are experiencing a greater shortage than usual. Manatee County needs to fill about 20% of its bus driving staff. Like surrounding districts, Manatee officials hope a wage increase will attract more employees.

The vetoes included $100 million for Conservation And Rural Land Protection easements. "Agriculture was harmed today," Republican Agriculture Commissioner Wilton Simpson said.

DeSantis also signed a bill that places an eight-year term limits for school board members.

There are about 16,000 empty positions in a state that already has one of the smallest government workforces in the country.

As many as two-thirds of Florida’s teachers’ unions would be decertified, preventing them from negotiating for salary and benefits for teachers, guidance counselors and media specialists.

The idea for the PCTA FYRE podcast, out weekly on Spotify, arose due to the vast amount of legislative changes in Florida affecting teacher pay, class sizes, curriculum and more.

On this week's Florida Roundup: This is the first time in over a century there’s not a single Democrat in statewide elected office. Also: the 2023 legislative session is coming, and the state may preempt local control over water quality, pollution and wetlands.

Gov. Ron DeSantis proposed a budget that, among other things, calls for a variety of tax cuts and an increase in teacher pay.

Proposals announced by DeSantis include a Teachers Bill of Rights, limits on unions, and partisan school board races. He also defended the state's cancellation of a Black studies AP course.