With an alarming number of Florida teachers leaving the profession, and concerns about a massive teacher shortage unlike anything we've ever seen, we'll take a fresh look at what it's going to take to keep our teachers in the classroom. Orange County's pinning it's hopes on a new package of pay hikes, but will this be enough to keep teachers on the job? If not, what will it take- more money? If so, how much should teachers be paid and where will the money come from? How about eliminating the federal income tax for teachers, which would effectively give the average teacher about a 20% raise. That idea came up recently and we'll talk about it.
Some say low pay isn't primarily what's driving teachers into other jobs, that it's working conditions that have them fed up and eyeing new careers.
NO FEDERAL INCOME TAX FOR TEACHERS?
We're keeping an eye on the Florida Legislature and will spotlight these developments:
*What critics call the "Don't Say Gay" bill is getting some traction in Tallahassee. It would ban classroom discussions about sexual preferences and gender identity when it's considered age-inappropriate.
*Legislation aimed at prohibiting angry protests outside private residences continues to make progress with lawmakers.
*We associate organized retail theft with places like California and New York, but Florida lawmakers say we're seeing more of it in our state, as groups of thieves rush into a store, escape with the merchandise they want and then sell it online and collect the cash. We'll tell you about the latest bill aimed at cracking down on this growing problem in Florida.
* Where have all the fiscal conservatives gone?! That's the question I'm asking after the Florida Senate, controlled by supposedly conservative Republicans, came up with a $108 billion dollar budget. That's 8 billion more than Governor DeSantis proposed. What's going on here?!
Something very curious is happening within America's labor force. As the COVID-19 pandemic eases, people are returning to work in huge numbers, but the overwhelming majority are men, with the number of women trailing far behind.
We're getting fired up for Super Bowl 56 this weekend.! You'd think the game between the Rams and Bengals would be making all the news, but everyone's talking about the explosion in the amount of gambling and the cost of the TV ads!!!
We'll close the show by focusing on the dual fiascos unfolding before us - the Olympic games and the Oscar nominations. No one seems to care about them any more. Why is that, and is there any hope these events that once commanded so much attention will make a comeback in the future? we'll talk about it,
https://www.si.com/olympics/2022/02/08/nbc-on-track-lowest-tv-ratings-winter-olympics-beijing
https://www.etonline.com/2022-oscar-nominations-see-the-full-list-178880
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