Florida Governor Ron DeSantis announced a significant salary increase for teachers in the state this Tuesday. Speaking at a school in Hialeah, surrounded by members of his cabinet and educators, DeSantis revealed a boost of $1.25 million in the budget for the fiscal year 2024-2025.
"In Florida, we value our dedicated educators and want to reward their hard work in the classroom. That's why I signed the paycheck protection law, provided new opportunities for teachers to earn bonuses, and made historic investments to raise teacher salaries," the governor wrote on social media platform X.
According to Telemundo 51, this pay raise for Florida teachers amounts to nearly $10,000. Data from the governor's office supports the significance of this increase, as the average starting salary for teachers in Florida during the 2023-2024 school year was $48,000, with the overall average salary exceeding $54,000.
"Since taking office, we have significantly increased the starting salary for teachers, and Florida now has the highest starting teacher salary in the region," DeSantis mentioned on X.
In 2020, the governor signed the HB 641 bill, which allocated $400 million to raise the minimum teacher salary and $100 million to increase the pay for veteran teachers and other instructional staff such as librarians and counselors. With this increase, the average salary for Florida teachers jumped from 26th to fifth place nationwide.
FAQ on Florida Teacher Pay Raise
The following questions and answers provide more details on the recent salary increase for teachers in Florida, announced by Governor Ron DeSantis.
How much is the salary increase for Florida teachers?
The salary increase amounts to nearly $10,000 for Florida teachers.
What is the new average starting salary for Florida teachers?
The new average starting salary for Florida teachers is $48,000.
What legislation was signed to facilitate this salary increase?
Governor DeSantis signed the HB 641 bill in 2020 to facilitate the salary increase.