JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Gov. Ron DeSantis wants to attract the best educators to teach Florida students, and he's hoping an increase of pay will achieve that.
During a news conference at Jacksonville Classical Academy Wednesday morning, the governor said his goal is to increase the average minimum salary for teachers in Florida, recommending $600 million in the Florida budget to go toward boosting teacher pay.
The proposal includes a second year of $1,000 bonuses for teachers and principals and the highest per-student funding in the state's history at $8,000 per student, DeSantis said.
“Since day one, I have been focused on making Florida a leader in education, and I am proud to announce my proposals to invest record funding into our education system over the next year,” DeSantis said. “By continuing to boost teacher pay, give bonuses to principals and teachers, prioritize workforce education, foster a strong civics curriculum and replace the FSA with progress monitoring, we’re making a significant difference in the lives of our students.”
The governor was joined by Department of Education Commissioner Richard Corcoran, who said the state "must continue to act with urgency in seeking innovative ways to improve the quality of education we provide students."
The proposal also includes $421 million for school safety and mental health initiatives. That funding includes $210 million for the safe schools program – an increase of $30 million over the previous year, $140 million for mental health – a $20 million increase over the previous year, $42 million for school hardening grants, and $4 million for safety initiatives at Jewish Day Schools, according to a news release from the governor's office.