TALLAHASSEE -- Members of the state teachers' union are trying to tailgate on Governor Ron DeSantis' call for a pay increase, by outlining their own wish list in a statewide bus tour.
The Florida Education Association wants lawmakers to raise K-12 education funding by $2.4 billion and give 10 percent pay raises to all public school employees.
Leaders of the "Fund Our Future" bus tour held a news conference at the state capitol. Their priorities include increasing student access to mental health and filling more than three thousand open teaching positions.
FEA president Fedrick Ingram says Governor DeSantis' plan to raise the minimum salary to $47,500 is a start, but it pits teacher against teacher.
“We want a compensation package that is going to be all-inclusive and is going to respect everybody on every level," Ingram said. "The governor’s proposal simply doesn’t do that. It falls short of including everybody.”
The bus tour ends in Orlando November 23rd.
Information from the News Service of Florida was used in this report.
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