Talking Points
- Students deserve stability, and schools perform better with a stable teaching force. Annual contracts have undermined stability and it is time for the Legislature to provide effective and highly effective teachers with the stability they deserve.
- Teachers in Florida currently do not have tenured status, and this bill does not provide tenure to teachers. A retention contract simply ensures due process rights for teachers so that effective teachers can’t lose their job for seemingly no reason as happens all too often.
- Florida is one of only three states in the nation where teachers are not guaranteed due process rights. This is one of the many factors that makes it difficult to recruit and retain teachers in Florida. Providing “retention contracts” would help to end the teacher shortage in Florida that saw 10% of all Florida public school students start the 2019-20 school year without a certified teacher.
- For a more detailed explanation of the harm that has been caused by annual contracts, click here.
Updated Information
HB 1359, sponsored by John Cortes would allow annual contract teachers who hold an active professional certificate and receive an evaluation rating of “effective” or “highly effective” to be receive a “retention contract.”
What’s Next
HB 1359 has been referred to the House PreK-12 Innovation Subcommittee, PreK-12 Appropriations Subcommittee and Education Committee.
Companion Bill
There is no companion bill in the Senate.
Vote History
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Our Position
We support this bill.
Video Updates
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