As the new school year approaches, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and Education Commissioner Anastasios Kamoutsas have begun a statewide tour that has drawn criticism from educators. The tour, which some are calling the “Blame Educators Tour,” comes amid ongoing debates over public school funding and teacher compensation in Florida.
In a statement, the Florida Education Association pushed back against recent comments by state officials. “We’ve seen this before. Governor Ron DeSantis is going back to using fuzzy math to blame educators for the polices that hurt our public schools instead of focusing on real solutions for Florida’s students, families, and educators. The Governor and Florida Education Commissioner have decided to focus on the real villains: our children’s teachers, paraprofessionals, bus drivers, lunch staff, maintenance workers, and every other educator who helps make our communities and neighborhood public schools strong.”
The association emphasized that delays in teacher pay raises are not the fault of educators. “Let us be clear: Educators are not to blame for the slow rollout of raises. They are the victims of it. Every educator in the state has one goal: To ensure that every child in Florida has access to a world class public education where they can thrive. It’s an uphill battle when public schools have to also grapple with underfunded districts, confusing state mandates, and last-minute changes from the state.”
According to data cited by education advocates, Florida ranks last in average teacher pay nationally for two consecutive years. Rising healthcare costs and challenges faced by retirees were also noted as issues affecting veteran educators.
“Educators are constantly being burdened by the state’s continual underinvestment in public schools. Florida ranks 50th in average teacher pay and has for two years running. Veteran educators are not being heard, healthcare costs are rising, and retirees are struggling, yet the Governor and Commissioner blame teachers and unions instead of owning the consequences of underfunding and poor policy,” said representatives from the association.
Recent performance metrics indicate declining SAT scores among students as well as drops in national assessments for math and reading.
State officials have touted what they describe as historic funding increases for education; however, critics dispute these claims based on official records from the Florida Department of Education. “Meanwhile, the Governor’s so-called ‘historic’ funding is just more fuzzy math. He keeps repeating that $5.6 billion has gone toward teacher pay. According to the Florida Department of Education’s records, the real cumulative figure is closer to $1.3 billion, which is a $4 billion exaggeration. This year’s allocation amounts to just $101 million statewide, which represents less than a 1% increase from the year prior. That works out to roughly $20 more per paycheck per teacher, which is a far cry from historic,” according to statements released by education advocates.
The statement continued: “That $20 sends a clear message to every single educator in the state: when the Governor blames teachers, staff, and their unions for their own low pay, he really means that educators should be happy with scraps and a system that is making it harder for them to have a say in their own professions.”
The association concluded its remarks with an appeal for increased support: “Our students deserve better. They deserve bold, sustained funding for our public schools. Educators are not political pawns or enemies; they are professionals. And they deserve policies that reflect that, not weak excuses or blame.”
