Florida teacher vacancies not completely being filled via veteran teacher program
Last year, the Florida Department of Education changed its requirements to facilitate veteran accession as certified teachers. Governor Ron DeSantis lauded veterans as having a wealth of knowledge that they could take to the classroom. The change to help veterans certify to become teachers quicker was an effort to help fill teaching vacancies in the state. However, vacancies are still waiting to be filled.
From ABC Action News:
“Everyone needs an opportunity, and everyone needs a door open,” said Kristopher Butler, among the state’s 31 veterans teaching through the program. Butler is a former marine and is now teaching in Broward County. He’s one of two military veterans in the state’s second-largest school district to be teaching through this state program.
Most of the other school districts with veterans teaching through the program are small to mid-size school districts. Brevard County and Lake County schools each have three active teachers through the program, the most in any single school district.
“It seems like there was a lot of fanfare around this program being a huge solution to a problem. Clearly, that’s not the case,” said Andrew Spar, head of the Florida Education Association (FEA), the state’s largest teacher’s union. For years, the FEA has called on state politicians to pump more money into public schools and teacher pay.
Despite a boost to teacher pay last year, Florida still ranks among states that spend the least on public education, including teacher salaries, according to Education Data Initiative.
“What we don’t want is temporary band-aids and temporary solutions. We need a long-term solution,” Spar said.
At the beginning of this school year, the FEA issued a press release stating the number of teacher vacancies in Florida had reached nearly 7,000, “the worst in state history.”
ABC Action News provides additional information here.
Category: Veterans in the news
Vets have had their ration of crap from higher. Most BoEs are just more of the same. Most of the rug rats in school have zero home training and even less respect for the teacher. My Baby Girl is/has been a teacher in Hillsborough County for nearly 20 years. Each year more BS flows downhill from higher. She is seriously considering a career change. Make of that what you will.
IM(NS)HO unless and until the principals and school boards enforce discipline, including upon the parents who refuse to accept that their child is misbehaving, things will only continue to get worse.
I have substituted in some public schools, used to drive a school bus, and have kin and friends who teach or have taught.
Not a place where I want my grandchildren. Or my loved ones working.
That said, I know teachers who endure it to make a difference in the lives of their students, and do so repeatedly.
Spot on, GB…Nailed it! I have said for years that if the parent doesn’t have discipline, then the child won’t either. The teacher can’t undo, in some cases, generations of slack hood in just a few hours a day, ‘specially when the kids get to the grade level where they have multiple teachers each day for different classes. And the sorry azz parents blame the teacher when little Trevon or Kewandashiquea can’t read. Won’t bore you with the stories I’ve heard but will say this…She (my daughter) now dresses to, and does, conceal carry. Many of the FGS I’ve sent in from the Tampa area were about students that she has had or were still in her classes when their nefarious activities occurred.
” little Trevon or Kewandashiquea”
It’s also little Susie and little Johnny.
Except, it was uphill both ways.
Spend more money? Yeah, just look at cities like Baltimore which spend more money than anyone else and have FAILING schools!
Back in the mid 90’s I was making an effort to get into teaching. Obtained a MA in ED and state teaching certification. The local schools “said” they wanted men, Vets to be in the classroom. While substitute teaching and applying I found that the Principals said one thing publicly then later while interviewing said they did not want a teacher to teach the students to “be good little soldiers”. That came up because the kids were lined up to go to and from PE, just like all the other civilian teachers did with their classes.
Never let it be said flamin’ liberal educators like military/veteran folk… because they don’t!