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DeSantis: $1,000 Bonuses Coming For Florida Teachers, Principals
May 27, 2021
Wednesday, Gov. Ron DeSantis announced $765 million in funding for Florida’s teachers is on the way, including $1,000 payments directly to most principals and teachers.
Over 3,600 principals and almost 180,000 full-time classroom teachers in grades pre-K through 12th will receive the $1,000 disaster relief payments for a total of $215 million in the state budget, the governor said during a new conference at Destin Elementary School.
There is also $550 million in funding to continue to raise minimum teacher salaries, $50 million more than last year’s budget allocation.
DeSantis said over the past year, minimum pay for Florida’s teachers increased by an average of $6,000 from $40,000 to $46,000.
“While most other states locked down their schools, Florida followed the science and opened our schools for in-person instruction, five days a week,” said DeSantis. “Thanks to the tireless efforts of our teachers and school leaders Florida succeeded where so many other states failed. I can’t thank them enough for their hard work and dedication during this school year and these bonuses are a small way to say thank you on behalf of our state.”
Comments
42 Responses to “DeSantis: $1,000 Bonuses Coming For Florida Teachers, Principals”
Only the cafeteria staff, custodians, and campus monitors were back for months well before virtual learning. They were the ones cleaning, sanitizing, making hundreds of bag lunches and handing them out car to car in the heat with shields and masks. Even in the rain! The monitors were watching the campus, answering questions, unlocking doors and gates. All were put at high risk before we knew anything about this virus.
Where is your response Governor?
Is there any reason why we always forget about the custodians who clean the school. Remember we were the first to be back making sure the school was sprayed down to prevent any kid or worker from catching anything we always forget about the people at the bottom look down sometime. We are part of the staff also.
You stated that all staff and paraprofessionals were to get $1000. bonus. I am a paraprofessional and played the teachers role for 3 classes during covid because those teachers where home on virtual. As a paraprofessional for 5 years taking care of 10-15 ASD kids is a tough job and needs a person with a lot of love and patience.
I was very upset when that bonus was taken away. We DON’T even make $15 an hour. That’s why we are short help.The price of everything is going up except our salaries. Why do we hand money out to none workers and can’t even give hard workers risking our lives to covid a bonus.
We tried. Guess not all of us qualify as high risk workers. At least we are working. And have a job. Be safe out there! God bless.
I am so confused as to why private school teachers (especially parochial school teachers) that are already paid less than public school teachers and have more students in their classrooms, do not qualify for the 1,000. Any teacher that is certified by the State of Florida and taught during the pandemic should receive this benefit.
Ok. So here it goes. We all were part of keeping schools going. We’re a team. Be a teacher bus driver cafeteria language..we all are. Not one person can do this alone. Takes a team. So patting your self on the back for being noticed is like slapping the rest of us in the face. Guess we just have to accept that we ourselves did a great job. And continue to keep the wheels rolling. Be thankful we have such a good crew of mechanics and County personnel to keep our team running. Be happy we have jobs. See you on the roads! Wheels down. People..lol. Me!
I FEEL I DID JUST AS MUCH IF NOT MORE in The SITUATION THAN OTHER TEACHERS! AS A MUSIC AND ART TEACHER I RELENTLESSLY TAUGHT ONLINE, ( MUSIC AND ART ESPECIALLY) SCRAMBLING TO ADJUST ON SO MANY LEVELS and GOING THE XTRA MILE REPEATEDLY TO MEET THE NEEDS IF THE CHILDREN AND THE ACHOOL AND THE PARENTS WISHES!
Why are WE PRIVATE SCHOOL TEACHERS NOT INCLUDED????
Very unfair.
ECP’S ARE TEACHERS AND WE WORKED BESIDES TEACHERS.WE WORKED ONLINE AND RETURNED TI WORK.ARE ECP’S NOT TEACHERS OR NOT GRANTED THE BONUS.
Dear Governor I believe that after you read this you might reconsider and realize that there are a lot more people who work for schools like myself and others I work in renaissance charter school in tradition in Port St. Lucie Florida I am maintenance I clean with a crew of five every day except for weekends since day one of this virus came to United States there was no stopping on keeping the school up-to-date and cleaning keeping them clean constantly throughout the day we are just at risk of getting the virus we should be getting hazardous pay and we deserve there’s $1000 bonus as well as teachers principles nurses in schools office workers we put ourselves just as much has anyone else hopefully you read this and maybe I could get a response and reconsider that we are just as good as teachers bus drivers to that’s another thing they put themselves at risk as well throughout this whole virus I believe this is fearAnd as the governor of Florida it’s your responsibility to be fair andUnderstanding
What about private school teachers Governor? We taught just as the PS school teachers. I am concerned that this benefit is not provided to those of us that are Certified and working in Accredited schools.
Sadly he also forgot the employees who have provided face-to-face services for kids with IEPs, including the Speech-Language Pathologist, OT, PT, etc.
Jeffery,
Apparently you cant read and understand what is being said. Only find misspelled words. Where does it say that support staff want compensation . It says why put an educator on a pedestal and compensate them more with taxpayer funds for doing what they are paid for you troll!!!! Go play your video games boy. Get a job!!!! Learn how to work andnot take handouts. Get a house dont live with mommy.
Jeffery you must be a so called teacher . Boo hoo. Custodians were and still are the front line workers who are doing there job. Cleaning you desk. And no we never asked for any money . Kids cant even pass the asvab test and get in the military. Yea your a waste of taxpayer money. Oh im intilitled i went to collage. Your type is the last to clock in and the first to clock out. Plus the state droped alot of grades just so the kids could go to the next grade. Not from teachers.
We have become a cynical, complaining, entitled, soft society. The governor did a good and positive thing here by recognizing the front line employees who had to tap totally adapt, modify and increase procedures and methodology. For all of you complainers, the “thank you for doing your job” came in the form of your wages earned. You are not different than any other worker in any other vital field. Show up. Do your JOB. Receive your compensation. Stop complaining and begrudging the recognition of others. Your life will be much less miserable for you and annoying for others.
Really, compensate the teachers for there work. Remember while everyone was sent home to be safe, we were here scrubbing down the school and freaked out about the unknown we were exposed to. We hustled to move 2/3rds of the desk to any area for storage. We were asked what Ideas do you have to make it safer so the students and staff felt safe. We couldn’t social distance being around every student during lunch. We came in and fogged the potential rooms exposed. We did it because it is our job. Just like its your job to teach. We didn’t get any extra or were looking to get any compensation. Apparently you have to bribe the teachers because they are few and going extinct. If you want no controversy everyone gets something but in all honesty use the money to build more schools or give the schools more support staff . We could use both!!! Plus didn’t we all get compensated with stimulus money even if we worked!!! I would be happy with an achievement cert on my wall or a personal thank you from the Guy I voted for.
No great deed goes unpunished!
I will trust this once it is deposited. It is part of the budget but like every other State budget we all know how money finds ways to line pockets of political giants.
What about the clinic staff who took care of all the covid symptomatic kids.. got them out of the classroom so the teachers and other students would be safe while we sat with them for 8 hours if their parents couldn’t arrive??? Clinic staff doesn’t even get paid in the summer they have to find new jobs temporary jobs to get them through!
How about the Custodians in the cafeteria workers they count to
@ Mike: Read my post again, slowly. I never said bus drivers were not important or put myself above others. In fact, I said they needed a bonus too. I am not going to continue to explain myself to oversensitive people who can’t read.
@ No Excuses
Your example – No teachers = no students in school = no need for custodians or bus drivers or any other support staff.
No Bus Drivers – How are the little darlings going to get there so you can teach?
No Custodians – who will clean up after you and the messy children? The writing on walls, desks, etc.
Cafeteria Workers – Keep the kids fed so you don’t have to hear them whine about being hungry all day! Breakfast & Lunch
Support Staff – They do a lot of the behind the scenes for the teachers. I for one copy, make folders to give to teachers with all of the state standards and lesson plans among and bunch of other tasks!
Therefore, I believe your example is just off. We all work together for the good of the students.
@ DerekW and no excuses. So let me tell you something
No bus drivers = no students as well or most of them at least.
How are you going to say teachers get covid more than anyone. Have you ever been on a packed school bus that is 40′ or less?
Teachers may teach but that doesn’t make them the sole important people in the school system like they believe they are. I used to be a bus driver and my mother for 30 years was a media specialist I know how hard it is for staff. Don’t put others down cause you don’t think they deserve something cause you think you deserve it more. My wife is a bus driver now and brought covid home cause 3 of her students tested positive and no one informed us that we should get tested. She has to put up with a lot. I’m not saying give us $1000 right now I’m just saying don’t disrespect support staff cause you think your better and deserve something cause with our bus drivers you wouldn’t have those kids to teach to get the $1000 bonus.
@ No Excuses, I understand that you were trying to explain the possible line of thinking and thought process behind our governor’s decision, but it still doesn’t excuse the fact that he congratulated only the teachers and principals on a job well done. The rest of us were completely looked over, no acknowledgement whatsoever. I think sometimes we are all guilty of not being appreciative of everyone’s part they play, but our governor shouldn’t have made that error. We have all sacrificed this year and played a role in making the schools function as best as possible for our students.
Reader Thank you for correcting me on the state of Florida budget.
What are your thoughts on Mr Desantis and the legistlators closing FRS retirement to all new hires including teachers and state employees FRS retirement will only be available to high risk. Police and Firefighters
Im Waiting
@ Just sayin’: Go back and READ my post. I said ALL of you were important and ALL of you deserved the bonus too. Nowhere did I say that anyone was unimportant.
I do wat to add that if there were no support staff, teachers would still be expected to get the job done. I worked for many, many years without the support staff you mention. It’s nice to have you now, but if we didn’t, we’d still have to get the job done.
Don’t be so easily offended, please. Everyone is jumping on me for things I DID NOT SAY.
@ Regina: I believe I started my post with agreeing that all of us deserve the bonus, and I hope you get one.
I don’t stand and project. I am a hands on ESE teacher with students sitting at my desk all day long, as well as at my assistant’s desk. We work hard.
I’m not taking away from what others do. Don’t get so offended and pick everything apart. My statement about the line of thinking was simply about the thought process, not what I personally thought about the bonus.
Chill.
To No Excuses.
Many times after a natural disaster the only ones working to get the schools back open for the teachers and students is the support staff. We are making the school’s safe for everyone else to return. Patching roofs, cleaning up flooded class rooms, taking care of electrical needs, removing damaged awnings, replacing damaged ac units on roof tops, removing downed trees from the parking lots and bus ramps, re-stocking the kitchen freezers,. The list goes on and on. Support staff is on site working countless hours several times a year while others are at home waiting on the all clear from us that your school is now safe to return to. So I want to add to the formula that you gave example of. No support staff
= no teachers or students.
“Its my understanding teachers pay comes from County Real Estate property taxes and not the state budget.”
You understand wrong. Florida has $22.8 Billion in the state budget for education next year. The total state budget $96.6 Billion, so education is a significant chunk of state spending.
Escambia County Schools gets roughly $211 million from state and federal, $95 million from local school taxes.
Great Photo opp, Its my understanding teachers pay comes from County Real Estate property taxes and not the state budget. If Mr Desantis is funding this from his state budget, Great My question is where is the funding coming from. How about some bonus for State of Florida employees Im waiting
@ No Excuses, teacher assistants are also with students all day. Some working one on one up close and personal with students. You can stand up in front of the class and project whatever you’re teaching on the board, have the kids do work on their chromebooks, but how can the assistants get that far away? They can not. Also, bus drivers are in a very small space with students for their whole day. Health techs sit in a tiny room all day with sick kids. Custodians clean up their vomit. Your risk of getting covid is no higher than anyone else working in a school.
It’s not about the money. It’s about the words spoken by DeSantis. Patting teachers and principals on the back while forgetting about the rest of us.
what about private school teachers. we pay our school tax and pay to send them to a quality God fearing school. Why should we pay double and not the teachers of our kids get anything.
While I do agree that teachers deserve this, what about TAs and all others that sacrifice for our students? We all spend our own money on these children for the “extras”. If a child needs clothes, we make it happen! We pay for parties and classroom supplies as well! This is a team effort between teachers and their assistants.
DerekW,
Oh how misinformed you are. Do you think teachers are the only ones who spend their money on the kids? If you do, you are more uneducated than you sound in your comment.
What about school nurses who provide snacks, not provided by the district, for diabetic students whose parents can’t because they were out of work during the pandemic?
What about the custodians who have bought extra supplies, with their own money, all year to make sure the schools were extra clean?
What about counselors who have given up their Saturdays to be at the school and give tests to remote students?
Just to name a few.
Teachers deserve this, they have worked hard and had a rough year, but to act like it was solely on them and not a team effort? Shame on you and anyone else who has the same mentality.
For those who are complaining, I see your point. I hope the district comes through to pay bonuses for you too as you are important. I think the line of thinking was this:
No teachers = no students in school = no need for custodians or bus drivers or any other support staff.
Ultimately, it is the teacher who is responsible for the learning of the child and we sit with them ALL DAY in our classrooms. Our risk of getting COVID is exponentially higher than for someone who can get away from the students for a period of time. I also think that’s why the decision was made as it was. Principals lead the school – at least the good ones do, so that’s why they were put in the bonus pool. AP’s need to be there as well as they carried out the Principals’ directives.
I’ve NEVER been given a bonus for doing my job, even under stressful conditions, so I’ll happily accept the money. It will only reimburse a fraction of what I have spent on students and my classroom over the last 37 years, so thank you Governor DeSantis.
The beatings will continue until the moral improves. This comes to mind when something like this occurs by singling out one group to recognize with a bonus check. We are all one big team and all play an part in the education of children until its time to divvy up the money.
To the bus driver, ese teacher and anyone else whining about teachers getting a bonus, please stop it! Teachers spend more money than that every year to make sure every student hS the supplies they need! None of that money is reimbursed. Now feel free to spend 50-100k on a college education for a job where you have ZERO JOB SECURITY!!
@ Equity
Yes they did! Are they considered State or County employees? Just wondering? Do you know?
In response to “Equity”,
Hopefully, our school district will come through and pay the same bonus to those our Governor has forgotten about. Polk County did. They used their district funds to pay all excluded teachers, as well as support personnel, cafeteria workers, bus drivers, and maintenance personnel.
I remember when the Florida Lottery was going to be the savior of public schools. Now that pot of money is doled out to college students. K-12 should receive every dime of it, not those moving on to further their education.
Excellent! Thank you, Gov., for realizing that the classroom teachers have actually been doing a completely extra job (both remote teaching and one-on-one teaching) at the same time to continue to allow required and needed learning to take place. Placing this burden on teachers has been almost impossible, but most Florida teachers rose to the challenge and made it work. That does not mean that other people within the system did not do their part too. The $1,000 is simply a small drop given to the teachers who basically were teaching two systems at one time. Giving tests, for instance, required two sets of tests (those for students at home and those for students in the classroom). Everyone certainly worked to complete the school year, but it is the classroom teacher who ultimately made this possible!
Under this verbiage, classroom teacher is defined as an instructor with student number assigned to them as the primary teacher. This excludes many teachers (such as interventionists, and some ESE teachers), guidance counselors, assistant principals, curriculum coordinators and instructional coaches to name a few. All of these dedicated faculty members worked right though the pandemic and are being excluded. Don’t forget the custodial workers who never stopped working, and had to increase their work load to sanitized the schools like no other year. Lastly, the bus drivers who locked themselves into a closed environment with students to transport them, they too were at high risk and continued to work. The money is appreciated, but not needed as to our county whose employees continued to work and didn’t lose and y money, but it needs to be an equitable dispersement.