But Chris what about Governor DeSantis's proposal to start first year teacher salaries at 47,500 and to have another bonus plan?
Well, ten thousand teachers and education advocates showed up in Tallahassee this past week to tell the governor they wanted no part of what he was selling.
Who wants a plan that leaves out 80k veteran teachers, who have actually seen their salaries go backwards over the last decade, and to never ever get a raise again?
Who wants a plan that leaves out all the support staff, many of who don't make a living wage?
Who wants a plan where first year teachers will be making what, 12, 16 and 17 year teachers depending on where you are make the same wage? I get it they have never appreciated experience but come on that's ridiculous.
But friends it;s even worse than that. People who have been paying attention and who have actually talked to a teacher, know where salary is important there are other important issues driving people out of the field and stopping people from entering.
Nobody wants to teach to a high stakes test, especially when they have all the responsibility and none of the authority or enter a job where there are no employment protections. Every teacher hired since 2010 can be fired at the end of a year for any or no reason. That by the way means the majority of teachers have no protections.
DeSantis, Corcoran, and the state board might say they care, that they want to address the problem, well friends their actions speak louder than their words.
From USNEWS,
Well, ten thousand teachers and education advocates showed up in Tallahassee this past week to tell the governor they wanted no part of what he was selling.
Who wants a plan that leaves out 80k veteran teachers, who have actually seen their salaries go backwards over the last decade, and to never ever get a raise again?
Who wants a plan that leaves out all the support staff, many of who don't make a living wage?
Who wants a plan where first year teachers will be making what, 12, 16 and 17 year teachers depending on where you are make the same wage? I get it they have never appreciated experience but come on that's ridiculous.
But friends it;s even worse than that. People who have been paying attention and who have actually talked to a teacher, know where salary is important there are other important issues driving people out of the field and stopping people from entering.
Nobody wants to teach to a high stakes test, especially when they have all the responsibility and none of the authority or enter a job where there are no employment protections. Every teacher hired since 2010 can be fired at the end of a year for any or no reason. That by the way means the majority of teachers have no protections.
DeSantis, Corcoran, and the state board might say they care, that they want to address the problem, well friends their actions speak louder than their words.
From USNEWS,
Teacher preparation programs have experienced sharp enrollment declines over the last eight years in nearly every state across the country, a new analysis shows.
In Oklahoma, college and university programs designed to prepare educators for the classroom saw an 80% drop in enrollment since 2010 – just one of nine states where enrollment has nose-dived by more than half.
Coupled with low pay and historic levels of unrest among educators, the long, stubborn downward trend line has those responsible for building the next generation of teachers wondering whether the profession can overcome its sullied reputation.
The declines are notable on their own, but even more so considering they occurred alongside increasing enrollment in bachelor's degree programs over the same time period.
"This is going to take a decade to turn around if we act now," says Bryan Duke, interim associate dean in the College of Education and Professional Studies at the University of Central Oklahoma, as well as the director of educator preparation.
Duke has seen Central Oklahoma's enrollment fall off a cliff since 2012, when the school enrolled about 1,800 students. Last year, it enrolled just 856, a 49% decrease.
"We have made it flat-out unattractive to be a teacher," he says. "That message is not going to change overnight."
We are never going to get enough applicants if we keep doing things the same way, and salary is just one part of the picture.
Governor DeSantis called this the year of the teacher, more like this is the year teachers will take whatever we decide to ram down their throat and the will like it, you know, the same as last year, and the year before that, and the year before that... He could listen to teachers, he could make sure they are all taken care of but thus far he hasn't and the only reason that makes sense, is he wants the teaching profession, to shrink and ultimately fail and is anybody really surprised by this.
I believe he thinks, why should we invest in professional teachers, because if he has anything to do with eventually all children will be at voucher schools, where teachers don't have to have certifications or degrees, and there is plenty of people who say, sure I will try that for 15 bucks an hour, looks easy .
Florida is setting the profession up for failure and their actions are all the evidence we need.
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