this post was submitted on 26 Feb 2024
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Legislators in Florida are considering a bill that would help retired teachers return to the workforce.

Senate Bill 1482 would eliminate the requirement for retired teachers and other school personnel who have taken part in the Deferred Retirement Option Program (DROP) to have been out of work for six months before starting new employment.

Taking aim at Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, Andrew Spar, president of the Florida Education Association, said: "We've all heard the governor's talking points about his investments in teachers and education, but the governor won't tell you the truth about education in Florida, which is that our state ranks 48th in the nation in average teacher salary, 43rd in the nation in per student spending, and doesn't even crack the top 10 in average teacher starting salary or average earnings for K-12 education support professionals."

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[–] orclev@lemmy.world 131 points 8 months ago* (last edited 8 months ago) (3 children)

Ah yes, because the law these morons passed that prevents them from being rehired for 6 months is the problem, not the horrible pay, worse teaching conditions, and the ever present threat of civil and criminal charges for even hinting that LGBTQ people actually exist. I'm sure repealing that little clause will fix everything.

[–] M500@lemmy.ml 76 points 8 months ago (2 children)

For me it’s also the measles thing currently going on

[–] athos77@kbin.social 32 points 8 months ago

Yeah, I'm just waiting for the summer when the yearly exodus is going to spread measles all over the place. I'm just so happy they've decided that unvaccinated kids with known exposures don't have to quarantine - with an infectivity rate of 15, what could possibly to wrong?!

[–] queermunist@lemmy.ml 5 points 8 months ago (2 children)

Let's not forget all the shootings.

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[–] The_v@lemmy.world 31 points 8 months ago (1 children)

It's so weird that here in my state they are having 100+ applicantions for every open position.

Could It be because it pays one of the higher wages in the nation and the state next to it pays on average 1/3 less.

It's almost as if there is no teacher shortage, there is a shortage of pay to teachers.

[–] Asafum@feddit.nl 3 points 8 months ago

Man that sounds familiar, it's almost like it's... (Checks notes) ahh every goddamn sector other than tech...

Government positions have it even harder because you have to convince an already absurdly selfish population to pay more tax to pay for more teachers. Knowing Florida that's a lot of "I don't have school age kids anymore so fuck your woke budget." :(

[–] LifeInMultipleChoice@lemmy.world 24 points 8 months ago (1 children)

The Florida Legislature currently has HB13 waiting to pass. It ups the minimum wage for teachers to $65k. Would start Fall 2024.

It doesn't fix all of the issues, but I was happy to see that bill. https://www.flsenate.gov/Session/Bill/2024/13

[–] orclev@lemmy.world 19 points 8 months ago

I bet it doesn't pass, that's far too reasonable for the Florida legislature in general, and Ron DeSantis in particular.

[–] pwnicholson@lemmy.world 97 points 8 months ago (4 children)

I initially read that as "Florida scrambles to get retired teachers to return to combat."

Which isn't really wrong either.

[–] Deceptichum@kbin.social 21 points 8 months ago (1 children)

Were the front line on the war against stupidity.

[–] Patches@sh.itjust.works 3 points 8 months ago

And guns. And measles. Don't forget the guns though.

[–] babypigeon@lemmy.world 6 points 8 months ago

I read it that way too. Agreed about it being an oddly accurate description.

[–] athos77@kbin.social 4 points 8 months ago

Well, didn't they say that soldiers could teach? (The front line are probably safer.)

[–] ours@lemmy.world 2 points 8 months ago

To combat their idiotic fight against the made-up problem they call "wokeness".

All the knowledge in the World is at our fingertips and some of us choose to put on blinds...

[–] lntl@lemmy.ml 66 points 8 months ago (3 children)

yeah it's so weird that a state like Florida can't find enough teachers to work there

[–] metallic_substance@lemmy.world 31 points 8 months ago (1 children)

Suuuuper weird. I'm willing to bet that they will settle for substandard teachers to fill the void. Teachers who will be okay with not teaching "challenging" topics like equal rights and evolution

[–] SeaJ@lemm.ee 20 points 8 months ago (3 children)

Hell, they are already letting people without teaching certificates teach as long as they are veterans.

[–] Hyperreality@kbin.social 11 points 8 months ago (2 children)

Are they really?

Throwing in someone potentially suffering from PTSD into a classroom filled with sociopathic teenagers sounds like a great idea.

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[–] Patches@sh.itjust.works 3 points 8 months ago* (last edited 8 months ago) (2 children)

This is disingenuous. They don't just step off the battlefield into teaching.

You have to be a veteran, spent 2 years at college(no degree), and also pass a 4-hour 'Florida Subject Area Test' with a score of at least 71%.

Lmao.

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[–] radicalautonomy@lemmy.world 23 points 8 months ago (1 children)

Texas is going to be in the same boat. I know of two other teachers from the high school I teach at doing the same thing I'm doing and leaving the state this summer.

[–] FlyingSquid@lemmy.world 14 points 8 months ago* (last edited 8 months ago)

Indiana is facing a teacher drain as well, in part because we pay our teachers terribly. My daughter had a shitty substitute teacher for all of fifth grade. She had no idea how to do things. I had to raise hell about some of the things she did (like punish my daughter for not saying the pledge of allegiance) and my daughter only told me about some of them later (she pushed Trump's Big Lie on the kids).

And she's had teachers who aren't much better in terms of skill.

Edit: Even that so-called teacher quit public school at the end of the year to, appropriately, go work in a Christian private school.

[–] Dead_or_Alive@lemmy.world 11 points 8 months ago (1 children)

Believe me Florida does not make it easy to be a teacher and Ron Desantis’s policies have a lot to do with this.

But the primary factor is pay. Teachers are laughably under paid in Fl. My sister has been teaching for 15 years makes little more than she did when she started. Most of the teachers my two older kids had in their elementary school have left for better paying careers. The number of teachers moving into the profession is not enough to compensate for retiring older teachers and the loss of teachers to other professions.

It’s simple supply and demand. Pay your fucking people and they will stay.

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[–] FlyingSquid@lemmy.world 57 points 8 months ago (3 children)

"Come out of retirement. However, if you say the wrong thing, you're fired."

[–] Treczoks@kbin.social 19 points 8 months ago

Or end up behind bars.

[–] spider@lemmy.nz 11 points 8 months ago (1 children)

if you say the wrong thing

...or use the wrong books

[–] RizzRustbolt@lemmy.world 6 points 8 months ago

Or dress the wrong way...

[–] AdolfSchmitler@lemmy.world 3 points 8 months ago

Florida logic for you

[–] Toneswirly@lemmy.world 44 points 8 months ago

"Lol Grandma, we need you to come out of retirement! The woke mind virus killed all tbe teachers and everyones blaming me!" -DeSantis, probably

[–] PrincessLeiasCat@sh.itjust.works 41 points 8 months ago

A very good friend of mine used to live and work in Florida but moved away years ago. He is a teacher now in another state and has always wanted to move back, but because he’s gay he doesn’t feel like it’s an option for him. He used to frequent Pulse.

It’s really sad for folks like him, and the state didn’t have to do this to themselves but they chose to.

[–] Anise@lemmy.blahaj.zone 20 points 8 months ago (2 children)

Have they tried NOT making schools a hostile work evironment where teachers are one baseless accusation of being "woke" away from getting fired and getting death threats from the community? Have they tried not censoring speech and burning books such that teachers can do their jobs? No? Good luck with that then.

[–] frezik@midwest.social 5 points 8 months ago

After all these years of complaining that one baseless sexual harassment allegation will get you fired, they've now made a system where being "woke" gets you fired. Irony level: Darth Plagueis the Wise.

[–] stoly@lemmy.world 2 points 8 months ago

More: have they ever considered making public school NOT be run like a jail?

[–] burgermeister@lemm.ee 18 points 8 months ago (4 children)

Read the headline and thought they were drafting retired teachers for combat situations.

[–] dangblingus@lemmy.dbzer0.com 4 points 8 months ago

I'm sure the headline was constructed exactly for that reason.

[–] LemmyKnowsBest@lemmy.world 3 points 8 months ago (1 children)

same. had to read it a couple more times to realize combat can be a noun or a verb. It's a verb here. And pronounced differently with emphasis on the second syllable.

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[–] Xanis@lemmy.world 3 points 8 months ago

It's the U.S., they practically are.

[–] RGB3x3@lemmy.world 2 points 8 months ago

I must be a jaded fucking US citizen (or maybe a normal one) for thinking the same. And it's Florida, so that wouldn't be surprising in the least.

[–] Potatos_are_not_friends@lemmy.world 10 points 8 months ago (2 children)

These red states are so hostile to education, and they are now finding out what happens.

In the medical space, I'm seeing a lot of people leave Florida and Texas. And looks like the teachers are doing the same.

[–] Anise@lemmy.blahaj.zone 6 points 8 months ago

It is on purpose. The GOP wants an uneducated populace.

[–] dangblingus@lemmy.dbzer0.com 2 points 8 months ago

On one hand, we want our people to be as dumb as possible, but on the other hand, nobody wants to be teachers at our state sponsored daycare for their kids

[–] Treczoks@lemmy.world 8 points 8 months ago* (last edited 8 months ago) (3 children)

On average, teachers a~~t~~re smart people. They know why they prefer to work elsewhere...

[–] psivchaz@reddthat.com 3 points 8 months ago (2 children)

Don't worry, they'll just change and lower the requirements until they no longer have to rely on smart people.

[–] Treczoks@lemmy.world 2 points 8 months ago

If they lower them far enough, they could even use Republican politicians as teachers.

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[–] OldWoodFrame@lemm.ee 5 points 8 months ago (1 children)

Didn't they just announce they had more money than they budgeted for, so they were sending checks out to people? Maybe keep some of that money and pay teachers more.

[–] marth_21@lemmy.dbzer0.com 4 points 8 months ago

Why buy a few votes when you can buy a lot?

[–] Illuminostro@lemmy.world 4 points 8 months ago (1 children)

Superintendent: "Hello, Mrs. Baumgartner, would you be willing to fill in as a substitute?"

Mrs. Baumgartner: "Lol, no. Get fukt."

[–] NineMileTower@lemmy.world 3 points 8 months ago

"But we'll pay you $50 a day"

[–] paddirn@lemmy.world 4 points 8 months ago

"We've made the job even worse than it was when you were in the field, why not come back to work under worse conditions for less pay?"

[–] USSEthernet@startrek.website 2 points 8 months ago

Pay the teachers better and let them do their jobs. My local county is top heavy with overpaid administrators. They could probably cut the admins in half and hire more teachers with better pay. But no, gotta have 6 figure useless oversight.

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