Lawmakers agree to fund $1,000 direct payments to teachers

[TexasTowelie]

The House and Senate agreed to $1,000 one-time bonuses for teachers during the state’s budget conference. The money for the direct payments will come from Covid-19 relief funding earmarked for education in the American Rescue Plan (ARP).

While some negotiations over the state’s nearly $100 billion budget for the next fiscal year are still ongoing, an agreement was reached on the state’s education budget during a meeting Friday.

Sen. Kelli Stargel and Rep. Jay Trumball are leading the budget conference negotiations for their respective chambers. Both budget chiefs said teacher pay was a priority.

The agreed upon education budget allocates $216 million for direct payments to early childhood learning and K-12 teachers and principals at district and charter schools.

Read more: https://floridapolitics.com/archives/423562-lawmakers-agree-to-fund-1000-direct-payments-to-teachers/

[Diamond_Dog]

1. So,

A 2 and 1/2 percent raise for one year? Whoopee.

[Dreampuff]

2. Not saying that the teachers don't deserve this

But what about the others who have gone through so much during the pandemic? I'm thinking of the IT department who keep the systems up and running so there can be distance learning or the custodians who have to do the extra Sanitation or the bus drivers with the tiny tots and their little extra germs with covid-19 around? That is all just in schools, but how many died in the Meatpacking plants where they are shoulder to shoulder or in the warehouses or grocery stores where people had to go to work everyday even when the pandemic was raging. Doctors, nurses, nursing home employees, production workers, Etc are also included.