Governor Scott wants to give Florida teachers a raise

Governor Scott wants to give Florida teachers a raise

By Roger Caldwell

      The word is out that Governor Rick Scott has experienced a revelation and he is now a changed man. He has seen the light and he is no longer a radical conservative, but now he is a moderate. Even though, he signed voter suppression legislature, and forced the state unions to pay 3 percent to their pensions, in the last two months he has become everyone’s friend.

     Governor Scott has decided to make up and become friends, because he knows with a 33 percent approval rating in the state, he will not get a second term as governor. Last week Governor Scott declared across the board a $2,500 pay increases for all the state teachers, and all they have to do is come to work. This is a major change for the governor, because initially in order to get a raise a teacher would have to do back flips, and all the students in the class needed a B average.

     Our governor knows that Florida is a red state that is turning blue and it was evident in the 2012 election. In order for Scott to win in 2014, he must take a softer position on immigration, the Affordable Care Act, and Election Reform. It is time for Governor Scott to get on the correct side with Floridians, and be an advocate for the people.

     Florida is one of the worst states in the country where the average teacher salary is $46,000. In the country the average teacher salary is $56,000 a year, and our state is $10,000 below the national average. It is very easy to understand why the better teachers go to other states, because they are better paid.

     “I believe in merit pay. I believe in measurement. I believe in accountability. We’re going to continue to work on that, but right now the right thing to do is across the board pay raises for all full-time teachers,” Scott told reporters. At this point, the political experts have calculated that this raise would cost the state an additional $480 million, and Scott has not come up with a plan to pay for the increase.

     Some critics claim that this is a ploy to get elected in 2014, but the Florida Education Association says this is a step in the right direction. Anytime any employee has more money in their paychecks they are able to pay more bills. Because you accept a pay increase does not mean that you are obligated to jump on the Scott bandwagon.

     Everyone in the Florida school system is well aware that Scott cut $1.3 billion from the school budget and forced all teachers to lose $1,372 in pay with Scott’s pension-reform law. Floridians are still upset with the governor and it is important that they don’t forget. Take the additional $2,500 if the Florida legislature approves the pay raise. Just don’t be fooled by the wolf in sheep’s clothing.