Veterans In Classrooms Not A Solution To FL Teacher Shortage: Critics

TALLAHASSEE, FL — Gov. Ron DeSantis's announcement Thursday that the Florida Board of Education will consider allowing military veterans to obtain a five-year temporary teaching certificates without a bachelor's degree, so they can teach in Florida public schools, is getting a lukewarm reception from Florida teacher unions and advocacy groups.

While Florida Education Association President Andrew Spar said he will welcome anyone with the qualities to make a good teacher, including military veterans, he doesn't believe DeSantis' initiative will solve the long-standing institutional issues that have resulted in a mass exodus of Florida teachers from the profession.

Low pay and a lack of professional respect are factors in the teacher shortage, he said.

On Aug. 17, the board of education will meet to consider a rule to formally implement a program for veterans to receive a five-year temporary education certificate while they finish their bachelor’s degree, provided they meet certain criteria.

This rule will implement Senate Bill 896, "Educator Certification Pathways for Veterans," which DeSantis signed earlier this year after it received unanimous bipartisan support during the 2022 legislative session.

Although DeSantis announced the new initiative the same week most Florida public school students returned to schools where there are more than 9,500 teaching vacancies, according to the FEA, the governor didn't mention the critical shortage of teachers in the state nor did he promote the Military Veterans Certification Pathway as a solution.

Instead, he called it another example of a win-win for both students and military veterans.

"We know that our veterans have talents and skills that they can offer our students. This new opportunity expands Florida’s existing programs that help our veterans take their talents to our schools, and it will help Florida remain a national leader in education," he said.

"If you served in the military for at least four years, were honorably discharged, have taken 60 college credits and pass a subject area exam, we want you to be able to teach Florida students," DeSantis said.

He said veterans have a wealth of knowledge and experience that they can bring to the classroom.

"And with this innovative approach, they will be able to do so for five years with a temporary certification as they work towards their degree," he said, adding that the current strict qualifications for teachers have kept too many people with real-world experiences to share out of the classroom.

"For too long the requirements to be a teacher have been too rigid, with union bosses insisting that all educators get certain credentials that often have little impact on teaching performance," DeSantis said. "Every morning our students recite the Pledge of Allegiance while looking at the star-spangled banner, and it's fitting that the teacher in the classroom is somebody who took an oath and put his or her life on the line to preserve, protect and defend our flag and the freedom it represents. ... We respect our veterans and know they have a lot to offer."

His announcement comes as voters around the state are being asked to approve referendums on the Aug. 23 primary ballot to raise taxes to pay teachers and school support staff more money.

As a result, counties throughout the state have put referendums on this year's election ballots asking voters to approve tax increases to provide raises to teachers, bus drivers and other school employees that districts.

Twenty-one Florida counties have already approved tax increases to pay teachers and school support staff more money.

Among those advocating a 1-mil tax increase to pay teachers more so they can keep up with the cost of living increases and double-digit inflation is Hillsborough County Superintendent of Schools Addison Davis.

He said teachers are leaving Hillsborough County public schools in droves, heading to higher-paying jobs in private industry or to one of the 21 Florida counties that have already approved tax hikes to pay teachers more.

At various times throughout the school year, Davis said the district has a shortage of 400 teachers and about 575 support staff. But he said the problem has worsened since the onset of the coronavirus pandemic as teachers opt to leave the profession due to health concerns.

Davis said, over the past two years, resignations and retirements have created more than 1,000 openings in the school district.

See related stories:

• More Pay For Hillsborough Teachers To Be Decided At Ballot Box
• Raising Teacher Salaries To Be Decided By Pasco Voters During Primary
• $800M To Raise Teacher Salaries Part Of FL Budget

Pasco County School Superintendent Kurt Browning said Florida's low salaries for school support personnel have left his county with a critical shortage of bus drivers.

In January, the school district was forced to change school start times so the transportation department could arrange to have the district's dwindling contingent of bus drivers take on more routes.

He said the problem persists as the new school year got underway Wednesday.

"We’ve had to take some pretty extreme measures," Browning said.

Among them, the schools district is no longer giving middle and high school students the option to take a bus to school if they live within 2 miles of campus.

If voters don't approve a proposed referendum to increase school employee salaries on the primary ballot in Pasco County, Browning said the school district may have to extend the new 2-mile rule to elementary students as well.

“We are actively recruiting more bus drivers but the pay is not what we'd like it to be," Browning said.

Meanwhile, DeSantis continues to tout the 2022 Legislature's appropriation of $800 million in this year's budget to raise minimum teacher pay and increase salaries of longtime teachers in Florida.

He said those funds have raised the starting salary of teachers from $40,000 a year to $47,000 a year, bringing Florida up from 26th in the nation for the highest starting salaries for teachers to the ninth highest.

"Over the last three years, we have worked hard to increase teacher pay," said DeSantis in announcing the appropriation in March. "We have invested more than $2 billion in teacher pay, and with rising inflation, this could not come at a better time. This will help Florida to recruit and retain great teachers."

Unfortunately, that hasn't been the case, said Davis. He said Florida still lags behind other states when it comes to paying teachers, especially experienced educators.

"Experienced teachers only received small raises, and many found themselves making the same or slightly more than beginning teachers, creating a significant disparity," Davis said. "This is one of the reasons our experienced teachers are leaving the profession."

Spar said Florida still ranks in the bottom five nationally for teacher salaries and support staff, despite DeSantis' statements to the contrary. And, ultimately, the students will suffer as a result.

“If there are thousands of vacancies out there, that’s hundreds of thousands of kids missing out on an education,” said Spar.

While he said he welcomes anyone with the qualities to make a good teacher, including veterans, he doesn't believe DeSantis' initiative will solve the long-standing institutional issues that have resulted in the loss of teachers, including low pay and a lack of professional respect.

“We would not even be having this conversation if we addressed those two issues, nor would we allow this conversation to happen if we were discussing airline pilots or doctors," he said. "We need to fill Florida’s vacancies while ensuring we have the best and most qualified teachers and staff working with our students."

American Federation of Teachers Secretary-Treasurer Fedrick Ingram agreed that replacing teachers with military veterans who have not yet obtained college degrees isn't the answer.

"There is no magic bullet that will instantly cure this teacher shortage," he said. "For many, the damage has already been done. But for those still holding on and especially for those looking to start a career in education, now is the time to start showing them some respect. Now is the time to pay them like we mean it. Now is the time to empower teachers to stay and return to the classroom instead of looking for replacements. Now is the time that we, as a country, show teachers that we truly thank them for their service."

AFT President Randi Weingarten was less tactful. He said the idea is insulting to the millions of teachers who have worked so hard to obtain advanced degrees and certifications.

"We already had teachers for whom last year was the worst year of their teaching career because there were so many things they had to do to help kids in the aftereffects of COVID, on top of all the other uncertainty," Weingarten said. "But what made it really bad for them is all the nonsense with the culture wars: the mask wars, the fabrication of CRT [critical race theory], and the political shenanigans of people like Gov. Abbott in Texas and Gov. DeSantis in Florida."