DeSantis' Florida has the highest teacher vacancy rate in the country. 48th in teacher pay.
Anne and I spent a couple of Chicago winter weeks on Florida’s Gulf Coast.
We will be going back again next year. It’s a beautiful vacation spot for winter weary Chicagoans.
But Florida is not so great for public school and college teachers who live and work there.
Governor Ron DeSantis (Paul Vallas’ favorite governor) is making it a whole lot worse.
DeSantis recently showed up in suburban Elmhurst at an event sponsored by the Chicago Fraternal Order of Police headed by Trumper president John Catanzara, a Vallas cheerleader.
The art site Hyperallergic reports:
A traveling outdoor art show has canceled an exhibition at the State College of Florida, Manatee-Sarasota (SCF) after the school requested the removal of certain artworks depicting issues such as abortion, police brutality, and diversity and inclusion. The cancellation comes following Florida Governor Ron DeSantis’s announcement of plans to remove diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs from state universities a few weeks ago.
DeSantis is transforming Florida into a hostile work environment for educators at all levels.
As an expected candidate for President, Florida gives a taste of what he has in mind for the rest of us.
So far he has given the state policies that include the Parental Rights in Education Act, colloquially known as the “Don’t Say Gay” law, the Stop WOKE Act, and the recent statewide ban on College Board’s Advanced Placement African American studies curriculum.
Not surprisingly Florida under DeSantis has the highest teacher vacancy rate in the country by creating a climate of paranoia that has exasperated many teachers, chased others out of the profession entirely, and deterred aspiring educators.
Teacher salaries rank 48th out of 50 states.
DeSantis’ “war on wokeness” means that Florida (and most Deep South right to work states) have struggled to recruit teachers.
When the far-right Republican became governor in 2019, there were 2,217 vacant teacher positions in Florida.
As of early January, there were about 5,300 openings statewide, with an additional 4,631 support staff openings (excluding Miami-Dade County), according to the Florida Education Association.
To be honest, Florida’s place as an education bottom feeder didn’t begin with DeSantis, although he’s definitely made it worse.
Former Gov. Jeb Bush made school choice and high-stakes standardized testing his signature issues in the 2000s, before his brother President George W. Bush (with the help of the late Democratic Senator Ted Kennedy) took “reforms” like the No Child Left Behind Act to the White House.
Before DeSantis there was Rick Scott, now the state’s junior senator.
Scott expanded charter schools and voucher programs and undermined long-term contracts for teachers.
For DeSantis, the simple privatization of education was not enough.
DeSantis is going after curriculum, best teaching practices and any mention of race or gender.
School libraries are being emptied out.
He’s really created a shit-show for educators.