To address teacher shortages, Florida erases the phrase 'teacher shortages'

[Sancho]

https://www.tampabay.com/opinion/2025/05/08/address-teacher-shortages-florida-erases-phrase-teacher-shortages-column/

Today I thought we’d take a look at the hot mess that is this state’s Legislature. Since lawmakers were unable to do the one thing they must do — pass a budget — this session is headed into overtime at a cost of about $50,000 a day. But while the budget remains in limbo, lawmakers actually passed some surprisingly solid bills. They also produced some real stinkers. Today we’ll spotlight a few of each.

First, though, I wanted to highlight an issue that flew under the radar — the Legislature’s attempt to deal with the state’s teacher shortage by … wait for it … deleting the words “teacher shortage” from Florida statutes.

Not surprisingly, teachers’ advocates were unimpressed. Andrew Spar, the president of the Florida Education Association, said “lawmakers had a chance to actually do something to address the massive teacher and staff shortage” by doing things like raising salaries in a state that ranks 50th in teacher pay but took a pass.

And Clinton McCracken, president of the Orange County Classroom Teachers Association, said lawmakers also bypassed proposals to ease the micromanaging of teachers, concluding that: “Scrubbing ‘teacher shortage’ from the books doesn’t change what’s happening in our state. It just makes it easier for politicians to dodge responsibility.”