Florida Department of Education Commends Governor DeSantis’ Focus on Florida’s Future Budget for Continuing to Raise Teacher Salaries and Invest in Student Safety
December 5, 2023
FDOE Press Office
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Florida Department of Education Commends Governor DeSantis’ Focus on Florida’s Future Budget for Continuing to Raise Teacher Salaries and Invest in Student Safety
~ More than $27 billion has been recommended by Governor DeSantis to ensure Florida continues to be the national leader in education ~
Tallahassee, Fla., December 5, 2023 – Today, the Florida Department of Education (FDOE) commends Governor DeSantis’ Focus on Florida’s Future Budget that continues to raise teacher pay, makes historic per-student investments, and furthers Florida’s commitment to school choice. The Focus on Florida’s Future Budget continues to raise teacher pay for the fifth year in a row, with an additional $200 million for teacher and instructional personnel salaries, providing a record $1.25 billion for Fiscal Year 2024-25. The Focus on Florida’s Future Budget also includes an investment of more than $571 million towards school safety and mental health, which includes $10 million in security funding for Jewish Day Schools and $10 million in school hardening grants for Florida’s Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU).
“Governor DeSantis’ Focus on Florida’s Future Budget will further cement Florida as the Education State,” said Florida Commissioner of Education Manny Diaz, Jr. “Florida is ranked as the number one state in the nation for education because we invest in our future. By continuing to prioritize workforce education, ensuring we have high-quality teachers, providing choice for all students and making record investments in our students, Florida will no doubt remain #1 in education for years to come.”
The Governor’s proposal for the Fiscal Year 2024-25 education budget recommendation emphasizes Florida’s commitment to ensuring students receive a world-class education:
- Governor DeSantis is calling for an additional $200 million in funding to allow school districts the ability to increase teacher’s and other instructional personnel wages in a manner that best fits the needs of the district while maintaining the current year $1 billion provided for salary increases in Fiscal Year 2023-24. With this increase, more than $4 billion for salary increases will have been invested in this initiative since 2020.
- The Focus on Florida’s Future budget provides $456 million for the Voluntary Prekindergarten Program, of which $6 million is provided for the establishment of the Summer Bridge Program to ensure children are ready for kindergarten.
- Governor DeSantis is proposing a record K-12 per-student funding of $8,842, an increase of $175 over Fiscal Year 2023-24. This funding increase is proof Florida is committed to our students and their academic success.
- To continue strengthening the teacher pipeline, the Governor maintains an investment of a total of $9 million towards Teacher Apprenticeship Programs
- Governor DeSantis has committed Florida to be the #1 state in workforce education by 2030, and the Governor’s recommended $200 million investment in the Workforce Development Capitalization Incentive Grant Program will propel the state to meet that goal. This represents a $100 million increase from Fiscal Year 2023-24.
- Governor DeSantis is proposing a $45 million investment for the Florida Civic Seal of Excellence Initiative, which will continue to incentivize teachers to teach Florida’s civics and government academic standards and to ensure that our students are well-informed citizens.
- Our collegiate students deserve the best and the brightest instructors and this record investment will attract and maintain talent in our colleges, which is why Governor DeSantis is recommending $50 million in funding to the Florida College System for faculty recruitment and retention efforts.
Ensuring the safety of students in the classroom is a top priority for Governor DeSantis, which is why he has recommended over $571 million to prioritize school safety and mental health funding for schools across the state. Key investments include:
- An additional $40 million in funding for the Safe Schools Allocation, building on the $250 million that is currently invested toward our students’ safety.
- An increase of $20 million in funding for the Mental Health Allocation, providing a total of $180 million.
- A total of $10 million in security funding for Jewish Day Schools to further the state’s commitment to the Jewish Community in light of Hamas’ terrorist attacks.
- An investment of $10 million for facility hardening grants that will assist in keeping Florida’s Historically Black Colleges and Universities safe and secure.