Tampa, Fla.-(Newsradio WFLA)- Governor Ron DeSantis, at Tampa's Armwood High School, has announced steps to reform the Best and Brightest Teachers program with a renewed investment to recruit and retain the best, most dedicated educators for Florida schools. The program includes more than $422 million for compensation increases to the most effective teachers and principals in our public schools throughout Florida.
Under the new program, nearly 45,000 highly effective teachers would be eligible for bonuses exceeding $9,000. It would also include bonuses of up to $6,500 for principals at schools throughout Florida to reward those who are creating classroom environments to help students thrive. In addition, the new program would remove the SAT/ACT requirements for teachers to be eligible for a bonus.
The new plan would also implement an innovative, first of its kind, investment in teacher recruitment by establishing the Teacher Talent Pipeline in Florida. This new program would include $10 million per year for the next five years to launch a loan and tuition forgiveness program for as many as 1,700 new teachers per year who commit to working as a teacher in Florida for five years.
Photo courtesy Gov. Ron DeSantis