Florida education leaders held a virtual press conference today to discuss the current state of public education in Florida and Florida’s dismal average teacher salary ranking.
Florida ranks #50 in the nation in average teacher pay, a drop from previous years despite the state’s thriving economy. Students also continue to deal with the burden of a critical teacher and staff shortage.
“Once again, despite a thriving economy, Florida is failing to prioritize the needs of students by not fairly compensating teachers and staff,” said Andrew Spar, President of the Florida Education Association. “Time and time again, anti-education politicians say they support teachers — but the proof is undeniable: in the past five and a half years since Governor DeSantis took office, Florida’s public-school teachers have experienced a stagnant and declining average salary. It is unacceptable that Florida ranks so close to last in the nation for teacher pay and that the teacher shortage crisis is still not being addressed. Every student in Florida deserves a world class education. Every educator deserves the ability to create a better life for themselves and their loved ones. We need Florida’s lawmakers to step up and take bold action and fully fund public education to ensure our students can learn and grow. Florida’s students and educators need better.”
Press conference participants included:
- Andrew Spar, President, Florida Education Association
- Hope Adelson, high school student
- Reina Aitkens, high school student
- Iran Alicea, President, Hillsborough School Employees Federation
- Damaris Allen, Parent, Families for Strong Public Schools
- Lakisha Ayers-White, Bus Driver, 1st Vice President, Flagler Educational Support Personnel Association
- Olivia Deloach, First Year Teacher
- Zahira Pena-Andino, Elementary Teacher
- Kelley Stephenson, Teacher, President, Walton County Education Association
- Antonio White, 1st Vice President, United Teachers of Dade
- Stephanie Yocum, Teacher, President, Polk Education Association
Read NEA's Educator Pay 2024 Reports
The National Education Association's annual report on educator pay quantifies teacher salaries, education support professional pay, higher education salaries and student spending in every state.
