Restrictions on how educators can teach and a lack of pay have deterred education majors like sophomore Aidan Wright from wanting to teach in Florida.
Wright's hesitation is indicative of a larger problem facing Florida teachers. This year, the Florida Education Association report There is a shortage of more than 4,000 educators. This would “potentially leave hundreds of thousands of students without a full-time teacher.”
“I think people are looking at the benefits of teaching in other states or working as a virtual educator, but that far outweighs the benefits and drawbacks of teaching in Florida,” Wright said. Ta.
Wright said the recent bill would need to be repealed in order for him to remain in Florida and teach after graduation. For Wright, this includes bills that would determine how sexuality and race are treated in the classroom, including “Don't Say I'm Gay.” invoice and “individual freedom” invoiceEach.
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“Due to the recent actions of the Florida government regarding education, I feel that I cannot teach to the best of my ability,” he said.
Treyana Small, a senior elementary education major, is worried about her salary, but said she doesn't want to become a teacher “for the money.”
“I'm interested in how I feel when I'm teaching with my students,” she said. “When I’m with my team, the money takes care of itself because I truly love teaching, learning, teaching, and kids…”
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Small, who is scheduled to graduate this school year, has accepted a position as a kindergarten teacher in Pasco County. She said she always has her job because she is short staffed.
“Unfortunately, teachers who have been teaching for many years are very poorly paid,” she says. “On top of this, classroom teachers are experiencing burnout because they have to do extra work outside of the classroom.”
According to Oracle in November 2020, USF experienced a 63% drop in enrollment from 2010 to 2020, prompting program cuts in the College of Education. article.
This year, USF's College of Education has 2,091 graduate and undergraduate students enrolled, according to statistics for the 2023-24 academic year. Fact book.
In a recent bill, House Bill 13The bill, known as the “Save Our Teachers Act,” died in committee in March. If passed, the base salary for full-time teachers would have been $65,000. Instead, his base salary would remain at $47,500. Florida Department of Education.
The average salary for educators in the state is $51,230, the third lowest in the nation, according to statistics. National Education Association. The association estimated this would result in a livable wage of $49,625. Yahoo Finance The average annual cost of living in Florida is estimated as follows: $34,287.
Mr Wright said salary was “definitely” a factor to consider.
“If I feel like I'm providing a good education to my students, I think I can live with that salary,” he says. “Unfortunately, with these bills in place, I'm not going to do that.”
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Wright said he plans to take advantage of programs that provide housing and tax incentives to educators willing to teach in low-income areas.
Small said there are backup plans if the challenges teachers face become too great, including working in another country.
“Otherwise, Publix would be my backup plan,” Small said. “It doesn't make me happy like teaching does.”
Keala Llanos Rodriguez, a freshman elementary education major, said she hopes to teach upper elementary school after graduation.
“I love working with kids, especially in that age group and grade level, and I want to create a safe learning space for my students,” she said.
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She plans to work as a teacher in Florida for a few years, but said she might want to move to another state.
She said her pay is “certainly something I'm concerned about.” Rodriguez also said salaries may be contributing to Florida's teacher shortage.
“It's a combination of underpay and kind of layoffs due to concerns from teachers and parents,” she said.
For Rodriguez, the state will need to start with higher salaries to encourage her and her colleagues to teach in Florida.
“I'll probably continue to worry about it,” she said. “But I think my desire to teach outweighs my worries, at least for now.”
