Florida teachers scoff at Gov. DeSantis’ ‘Blame Educators Tour’ accusing unions of delaying raises

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Florida’s teachers aren’t impressed with Gov. Ron DeSantis’ claims about leadership in education.

Hours after the Governor led an education roundtable in Tampa, the Florida Education Association issued a release calling the event a part of the “Blame Educators Tour.”

“We’ve seen this before. Governor Ron DeSantis is going back to using fuzzy math to blame educators for the policies that hurt our public schools instead of focusing on real solutions for Florida’s students, families and educators,” the FEA release states.

“The Governor and Florida Education Commissioner have decided to focus on the real villains: our children’s teachers, paraprofessionals, bus drivers, lunch staff, maintenance workers and every other educator who helps make our communities and neighborhood public schools strong.”

DeSantis’ event included newly appointed Education Commissioner Anasastios Kamoutsas, as well as Chief Financial Officer Blaise Ingoglia and New College President Richard Corcoran.

At the event, DeSantis denied Florida faces any significant teacher shortages, noting vacancies ahead of the start of school are down 18% from last year, and touting financial incentives for teachers going through civics training courses.

Meanwhile, Kamoutsas said any delay in teacher raises reaching individuals is the fault of teachers unions drawing out negotiations. He said as much in a letter sent to district superintendents across the state on Wednesday.

“Since 2020, Gov. Ron DeSantis has invested over $5 billion dollars to raise teacher pay,” Kamoutsas posted on social media. “But local unions are delaying increases by playing politics — keeping teachers from the raises they deserve.”

The FEA, the state’s largest teachers union, scoffed at the assertion that the groups negotiating higher salaries for teachers were to blame for them not getting higher pay.

“Let us be clear: Educators are not to blame for the slow rollout of raises. They are the victims of it. Every educator in the state has one goal: to ensure that every child in Florida has access to a world-class public education where they can thrive,” the FEA release stated.

“It’s an uphill battle when public schools have to also grapple with underfunded districts, confusing state mandates, and last-minute changes from the state.”

The FEA said on average, teacher raises budgeted by the state amount to just $20 more per paycheck, not enough to accommodate Florida’s rising cost of living, and the boosts have been implemented unevenly across Florida.

“That $20 sends a clear message to every single educator in the state: when the Governor blames teachers, staff, and their unions for their own low pay, he really means that educators should be happy with scraps and a system that is making it harder for them to have a say in their own professions.”

The organization said while DeSantis has frequently claimed $5.68 billion has gone toward teacher raises during his tenure as Governor, the actual number is closer to $1.3 billion. “This year’s allocation amounts to just $101 million statewide, which represents less than a 1% increase from the year prior,” the FEA said.

Despite DeSantis’ claims about bonuses, the National Education Association said Florida has ranked second-to-last in the nation for teacher pay for the last two years among all 50 states and Washington D.C. Only Mississippi ranked lower.

“Our students deserve better. They deserve bold, sustained funding for our public schools.  Educators are not political pawns or enemies; they are professionals,” the FEA release said. “And they deserve policies that reflect that, not weak excuses or blame.”