Good things come at a price in Gov. Ron DeSantis’ administration.
His “Teachers’ Bill of Rights” sounds like an overdue effort to give more dignity — and pay — to the people educating our children. That’s not entirely wrong, it’s just the upside of the education proposal the governor announced on Monday. But it comes with a catch, the dark side, better described as the “Teachers’ Union-Busting Bill.”
DeSantis’ relationship with public school teachers has been one of feeding with one hand and punishing with the other. He has allocated millions to raise teachers’ starting salaries. That, however, has not been enough to move Florida from the 48th spot in the nation in average public school teacher pay, according to the National Education Association. At the same, he’s treated educators as pariahs in his culture wars, accusing them — with little to no proof — of indoctrination and teaching ideology.
