Governor Ron DeSantis outlines education goals for upcoming session

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Governor Ron DeSantis hosted a press conference in Jacksonville on Monday, January 23rd.

He was joined by Education Commissioner Manny Diaz at Duval Charter School at Baymeadows to discuss additional pay increases and support for teachers in the state.

DeSantis announced his proposal to create a Teacher’s Bill of Rights that empowers educators to be leaders in their classrooms, enact paycheck protection, reduce terms for school board members from twelve to eight years, and invest another $1 billion in teacher pay.

DeSantis is asking to boost teacher pay by an additional $200 million, bringing the total to $1 billion for recommended budget for the next year.

He also talked today about ending union auto withdrawals from teacher paychecks and other paycheck protections under the proposal.

• Prohibit any union representing public employees from having its dues and assessments deducted by the public employee’s employer.
• Require employees to submit a form acknowledging that Florida is a right-to-work state and union participation is optional.
• Require school unions to annually notify members of the cost of membership.
• Prohibit the distribution of union materials at the workplace.
• Union officials cannot be paid more than the highest-paid union member.
• Prohibit union work while on the clock for their taxpayer-funded job.
• Prohibit school board members and superintendents from accepting a personal or work-related benefit such as a secret “office account” from a school union.

And giving teachers the ability to file civil and administrative complaints if a district directs them to violate state laws.

• Establish a new process for individuals to notify the state of a violation of teachers' rights and ensure that the Department of Education can investigate those claims.
• Empower teachers to maintain safe classroom environments by creating a “stand your ground” classroom safety policy to protect teachers who are often judged unfairly for maintaining order and safety in their classrooms.
• Clarify that teachers have the choice to join their local teachers' union and will not face any repercussions if they opt not to join.
• Providing civil remedies for teachers who are asked to violate Florida law and punished by their employers for standing up for what is right.

WATCH NOW | Governor Ron DeSantis