As the new school year begins in Florida, Governor Ron DeSantis and Education Commissioner Anastasios Kamoutsas are traveling across the state on what has been called the “Blame Educators Tour.” The tour comes as tensions rise between state officials and educators over issues of pay, funding, and education policy.
The Florida Education Association (FEA) criticized the governor’s approach, saying that educators are being unfairly blamed for problems created by state policies. According to the FEA, “We’ve seen this before. Governor Ron DeSantis is going back to using fuzzy math to blame educators for the polices that hurt our public schools instead of focusing on real solutions for Florida’s students, families, and educators. 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.”
The FEA emphasized that delays in salary increases are not due to actions by educators themselves. “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. 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,” said FEA representatives.
Educators point out ongoing challenges such as low pay and rising costs. The union highlighted that Florida ranks last in average teacher pay nationally for two consecutive years—a position confirmed by national reports—and noted growing concerns among veteran teachers about healthcare expenses and retirement security.
“Educators are constantly being burdened by the state’s continual underinvestment in public schools. Florida ranks 50th in average teacher pay and has for two years running. Veteran educators are not being heard, healthcare costs are rising, and retirees are struggling, yet the Governor and Commissioner blame teachers and unions instead of owning the consequences of underfunding and poor policy,” according to FEA leadership.
Statewide academic performance indicators show declines in SAT scores as well as lower student achievement on national math and reading assessments—issues some attribute at least partly to resource shortages.
Governor DeSantis has promoted what he calls “historic” funding levels for teacher salaries; however, FEA disputes these claims based on data from official records. The association stated: “Meanwhile, the Governor’s so-called ‘historic’ funding is just more fuzzy math. He keeps repeating that $5.6 billion has gone toward teacher pay. According to the Florida Department of Education’s records, the real cumulative figure is closer to $1.3 billion, which is a $4 billion exaggeration.”
This year’s increase amounts to approximately $101 million statewide—less than a one percent boost compared with last year—which translates into about $20 extra per paycheck per teacher.
“That works out to roughly $20 more per paycheck per teacher, which is a far cry from historic,” said FEA representatives. “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.”
In conclusion, union leaders reiterated their call for long-term investment rather than political conflict: “Our students deserve better. They deserve bold, sustained funding for our public schools. Educators are not political pawns or enemies; they are professionals. And they deserve policies that reflect that, not weak excuses or blame.”
