"Today, I am excited to announce that as we continue to move our state forward and create more jobs, we are doubling down on our investment in education. I can think of no better investment for our state than investing in those teachers who work on the frontline of Florida's future every day by teaching our children. I am asking the legislature to join with me in supporting my 2013 budget request that will provide every Florida full-time public classroom teacher the ability to receive a $2,500 pay raise.
My proposed budget will include $480 million in funding to support a $2,500 pay raise for full-time public classroom teachers in our state. This funding will support districts' ability to provide a $2,500 teacher pay raise, plus the cost of related benefits. This teacher pay raise is in addition to an overall increase in education funding that will be included in our full budget proposal."
Andy Ford, the head of the Florida Education Association — the state's biggest teachers' union — said it's a step in the right direction. But he didn't sound too warm about it. In a press release from the association, Ford said:
"A $2,500 increase in pay would certainly be welcome, but it's important to put it in its proper context. Teachers and other school workers lost 3 percent of their salary in 2011 and saw another 2 percent disappear when Social Security and Medicare tax breaks expired earlier this month. But this is a step in the right direction because investing in public schools and the people who work in them is the way to create the workforce of the future."
At around $46,000 a year, teacher pay in Florida stands at $10,000 below the national average, and Ford said that's not competitive pay for a state that seeks to be a leader in economic development. He added that the association would continue to push for a more stable source of funding for Florida public schools.
"We're concerned that the state is returning to an old failed model for budgeting that relies on growth and sales taxes," Ford said. "This model led to a more severe economic downturn starting in 2008 and will lead to trouble at some point in time in the future when the economy suffers a downturn."
Meanwhile, House Speaker Will Weatherford also sounded skeptical. He only wants teachers who deserve the money to get a raise, not everybody, which is what SB 736 was all about in the first place.
