Dive Summary:
- While Florida Gov. Rick Scott was able to sign off on extensive education measures yesterday, his proposed $2,500 teacher pay raise failed to win the same legislative support.
- House and Senate budget negotiators did set aside around $480 million Sunday to be used on boosting classroom teacher pay, but they insisted that part of the money be tied to performance and that pay raises also be given to all instructional personnel, likely lowering the amount of the raises.
- The $2,500 across-the-board pay raise was one of Scott's top priorities for the 2013 legislative session, but legislators, who are also still considering raising tuition rates for the state's university and college students, insisted all along that it was unlikely Scott would get the raises exactly how he wanted them, and that the raises conflicted with a merit pay law set to take effect in 2014.
From the article:
... "I think at the end of the day, regardless of how you look at it, it's going to be used for teacher salary increases," said Rep. Eric Fresen, R-Miami and chairman of the House panel that oversees school spending. ...
