WELLINGTON, Fla.– March 21, 2022: Gov. Ron DeSantis has approved $800 million for teacher pay raises in this year’s budget which has been passed by the Florida Legislature. The funding will raise the average teacher starting salary to least $47,000, 9th highest in the nation. In 2020, the average starting salary for a teacher in Florida was $40,000, 26th in the nation.
DeSantis made the announcement at a news conference Monday morning in Wellington.
“Over the last three years, we have worked hard to increase teacher pay,” said Governor Ron DeSantis. “This will help Florida to recruit and retain great teachers.”
“We’ve put words into action by replacing Common Core, eliminating the Florida Standards Assessment," said Commissioner of Education Richard Corcoran. "And working with our close friends in the Florida Legislature to secure $800 million in state funding to provide teachers a well-deserved pay increase."
The $800 million in this year's budget is a $250 million increase over last year’s funding, and brings Florida’s investments in teacher pay to greater than $2 billion since the 2020 Legislative Session.