Print

Email story

Comment

Email editor

Welcome, teachers

Gov. Bush's $239-million plan is certain to help recruit and retain teachers, but the state's lower-than-average salaries should also be addressed.

The shortage of teachers in Florida can be traced to a variety of economic, demographic and educational forces, but Gov. Jeb Bush can make a difference merely by his clarion call. His $239-million plan to recruit and retain teachers is one way of hanging out the welcome sign.

Bush announced his proposal last week with customary flair, and the elements are diverse: a $40-million matching grant program to encourage districts to develop their own recruiting and retention strategies; $7.9-million more to recruit teachers in critical shortage areas through student loan support; a push to create education minors in Florida universities. His most costly offering is a $188-million plan to give laptop computers to every teacher, which may not be all that enticing.

In a state that will need 31,800 new teachers next year, each one of Bush's recruitment strategies is certain to help. But the governor can't dismiss competitive teacher pay as simply a union cause. People who teach for a living usually are driven by their desire to help children, but they are not immune from market forces. College students looking for greater pay often refuse to consider teaching. For those who do teach, Florida offers salaries that are roughly $6,000 less than the national average. Closer to home, Georgia pays $5,000 more.

Florida faces a number of obstacles that make teacher recruitment all the more difficult. Its population growth continues to bring more students - a projected 48,000 next year - who require more teachers. Its overcrowded universities have never kept pace in supplying enough graduates in teaching. More recently, the escalating costs of real estate are beginning to put homeownership out of the reach of teachers.

The state can't solve the problem alone, but lawmakers should be encouraged both by the governor's initiative and by the efforts of local communities. In Pinellas, for example, St. Petersburg Mayor Rick Baker has put such a premium on teachers that he provides housing loan subsidies for those who agree to stay. Little more than a year ago, voters countywide chose to raise their property taxes for the expressed purpose of raising teacher salaries.

Given the scope of the problem and the popular support for helping teachers, lawmakers can use Bush's plan as a starting point. He said as much himself in announcing it: "We hope this will be a package that the Legislature will look at and enhance, if they so desire."

The Department of Education already has prepared some clever marketing tools to begin its recruiting campaign, and one ad speaks to teachers in other states: "You belong in Florida where we're as dedicated to education as you are." In his final year as governor, Bush has the chance to show that his own dedication transcends standardized test scores.

[Last modified January 31, 2006, 00:30:20]