Teachers to receive pay raise

FLORIDA — Governor Ron DeSantis yesterday announced $800 million in this year’s budget to raise minimum teacher pay and increase veteran teacher salaries in Florida.

The $800 million is a $250 million increase over last year’s funding and brings Florida’s investments in teacher pay to greater than $2 billion since the 2020 Legislative Session, DeSantis said.

In 2020, the average starting salary for a teacher in Florida was $40,000 (26^th in the nation), and with the new funding, it will now be at least $47,000 (9^th in the nation), he said.

“I don’t think people always understand the countless hours we put into our work,” said Loren Temes, 2^nd Grade Teacher, Renaissance Charter School at Wellington.

“I truly love my students. I am constantly thinking of things to help teach them and it is nice to be appreciated and be respected.”

According to DeSantis, the increases in teacher pay will provide critical help to teachers in Florida during a critical time where inflation is rising rapidly across the country.

“Educators are the backbone of America,” said Tiqkia Barrow, 5^th Grade Teacher, Renaissance Charter School at Wellington.

“By this initiative happening, it is not about having a salary, it is about can a teacher pay their light bill, can a teacher pay their water bill, can a teacher give a kid who doesn’t have food at home an extra snack, or an extra bag of chips to put in their backpack and not at the expense of their own home.”