Teacher Pay

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.

Several districts are still in negotiations with unions.

The program has already graduated 22 teachers in more than two years.

The starting pay for teachers increases by $2,367, while the minimum wage for teachers' aides is now $15 an hour.

Though the margin of defeat for the referendum narrowed a bit since election night, it still failed to pass by 590 votes, or .26%.

Some face legal challenges, such as a bill that would prevent abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy.