Key takeaways
- Rather than addressing underfunding and harmful policies, the Governor and Commissioner are misleading the public and blaming teachers, staff, and unions for issues they didn’t create.
- This year’s increase is just $101 million statewide, or roughly $20 more per paycheck per teacher.
- Students are paying the price as SAT scores drop, national test scores decline, and classrooms are staffed by permanent substitutes.
As educators and students begin to head back to school, Governor Ron DeSantis and Florida Education Commissioner Anastasios Kamoutsas are traveling the state on their “Blame Educators Tour.”
We’ve seen this before. Governor Ron DeSantis is going back to using fuzzy math to blame educators for the policies 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.
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.
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. The Governor’s latest political stunt is just another attempt to intentionally mislead teachers in the state and once again shift blame to the teachers who make public education possible. And it’s our students who suffer as SAT scores decline, and student performance on math and reading national assessments slips.
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. 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.
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.
Additional Resources:
- Full Education Budget: Florida Education Finance Program (FEFP)
- County-by-County Map of Teacher Salary Increases: Per capita new funds in the 2025-26 budget for teacher salary increases.
