First Class Teachers [from Presumptive Dem Nominee for Governor in Florida]

Jim Davis ^ | 5/11/2006 | Jim Davis

[Brilliant]

Today, I'm very pleased to announce my First Class Teachers plan, which will dramatically increase the salaries of Florida's teachers by an average of $3,835 during my first year in office without raising taxes. For much too long, our teacher salaries have lagged far behind the national average. By underpaying our teachers, we are undervaluing our education system and cheating our children. My plan will bring Florida's teacher salaries into the nationally competitive range – without increasing taxes.

Florida's promise to our children is a quality education that allows them to reach their highest potential. By investing in and building a world-class education system, we will prepare our children to succeed in a competitive global economy. The best way to invest in building a world-class education system is to recruit and retain the best and brightest to teach our children. I believe we can – and must – do better for our children, for our teachers and for our schools.

If you want to hear more about the specifics of my First Class Teachers plan, please click here to view the full plan. Together, we will raise teacher salaries and start making a real investment in educating our children. I would love to hear your thoughts about this plan in the comments on this blog post.

[Brilliant]

I might go for the increased funding if he makes it a voucher. But there's not much chance of that.

He says he's going to do it without raising taxes. Uh-huh.

If this is the best he can do, he better resign himself to defeat.

[goldstategop]

He never says how he will pay for the increased salaries without raising taxes. Remember, the ACLU and the Dems successfully throttled private school choice with the connivance of the teachers' unions in Florida. What chutzpah!

(Denny Crane: "Every one should carry a gun strapped to their waist. We need more - not less guns.")

[Joe Brower]

Florida Freeper

I'm compiling a list of FReepers interested in Florida-related topics.
If you want to be added, please FReepMail me.

[WatchYourself]

Wow, what a BRILLIANT plan. I think Jim first needs to get the teachers to stop having affairs with their students in Florida... that would be good.

[doc30]

Personally, I don't think that will be enough. A freind of my wife's is an elementary school teacher in Citrus County Fl and just took a job offer in rural Georgia where the pay, for the same level of experience and responsibilities is $15K per year greater than what she can earn in FL. It was a no-brainer decision.

[WOSG]

Vouchers!?!? The Democrat teachers unions look at vouchers the way a Vampire looks at garlic and a cross.

No tax increase? Paid for with 'smoke-and-mirrors' instead? well, that's a trusty ol' campaign trick.

[P-40]

the national average.

Shouldn't the pay be based more on the market in which you work? I assume it is more expensive to live in New York City than it is in Dime Box, Texas.

[KingofZion]

How about pay for performance?

No, that would never work, they'd be stuck at minimum wage.

[VeniVidiVici]

Jim Davis? Muppets?

Or maybe just a Democrat sock puppet.

[doc30]

Shouldn't the pay be based more on the market in which you work?

Florida isn't the low cost of living state it once was. When one of our join ventures can't get a CEO to move to FL because the housing is too expensive (the sum of house price, property taxes and homeowners insurance) and the salary offered too low for the way a CEO of a mjor company typically lives, you know there are serious cost of living issues here.

[P-40]

Florida isn't the low cost of living state it once was

True, but some part of the state are more expensive than others...or at least it used to be that way. Or is Florida just one big retirement community now? :)

[Dutchgirl]

Is he a member of the Davis family that is simultaneously claiming bankruptcy protection for Winn-Dixie stores while launching a multi bilion dollar real estate deal called "Nocatee?" Yeah, that's the kind of fiscal leadership our public schools need..

[doc30]

In the past 5 years, home prices have universally doubled at a minimum. In the cities near the coast, they have easily tripled. Property taxes get reassesed at the new value and all the hurricanes have destroyed affordable homeowners insurance. If you want to but a house in FL in a major city, a modest 1100 sq ft 2/1/0 would go for between $150K and 180K. That would carry about 2500 in property taxes and about 2500 in insurance per yearplus an equal amount for flood insurance if you need it. That's $7500 per year just in escrow costs and not the mortgage payment. Teachers in FL do not make enough money to buy and own their own home in FL.

[P-40]

Teachers in FL do not make enough money to buy and own their own home in FL.

It doesn't sound like many other employment groups will fare that well either. Might as well live in Vail, CO!

[poobear]

"Or is Florida just one big retirement community now?"

No ser re. Weez gots famerlies and reel jobs and everthang down heer in Florduh. Y'all let ups alittle. That thar turnup wagon juz dropt uz off down the road a peece.

Soon weel be payin' taxus and everthang juz lik yall!

[retarmy]

Depending on where you live, you can pay more in taxes and insurance (if you can get it) than you do in a mortgage payment. Other places are just way, way out of reach of Florida teachers. I live in unincorporated Pinellas County, and my taxes are $3800+. Thankfully, I have USAA as my insurer and pay about $1800 a year in insurance, but because I live on a “mountain” (58 feet above sea level), I am not in a flood zone and therefore do not need flood insurance. If I lived in a city and needed flood insurance, it could cost an additional $2500 - 3000.

People like to think Florida is just for retirees, but we are getting much younger each year. New jobs, new opportunities, new families moving down here to get away from the cold, and to get away from the rust belt.

[SE Mom]

doc is correct- it doesn't matter where you live in FL now- costs have easily doubled.

My dil is an elementary school teacher- she and my son don't expect to be homeowners for quite some time.

[P-40]

Depending on where you live, you can pay more in taxes and insurance (if you can get it) than you do in a mortgage payment.

The situation there sounds comparable to Austin, TX. We have high propery taxes here that prices a lot of potential homeowners out of the market...unless you want to live in a part of town that you wouldn't want to live in. Supposedly we just got "property tax relief" but I have been laughing at that too hard to see just how much our taxes will be going up.

[retarmy]

Calling all Southerners,

Why is it that Northerners and Californians use a (fake) Southern accent when they want to sound like they are dullards or like they are a bit slow? Do people who speak with, like you know, a California accent, like, you know, like realize how, like really, really dumb it sounds? Especially since, like, you know, like they end like all of their sentences with, like, you know, a question sound?

What about New Yoakehs and thems from Baaahstuhn? Do they really think it is reflects well on their use of English for a visitor to have to hire a translator to understand what they are saying? Seriously, does anyone think that the phrase, “Yo, kuhmeah. Wahyou tink you doo’n? Hah? Geattahere” is intelligible in common English?

And besides, even Yankees that have lived in the South know that when one is addressing a group of folks, its “all y’all” not “yall.” ;^)

[poobear]

Well, I'm a Th generation Southerner with a traditional accent known to many born below the Mason Dixon line. They talk differently further to the north.

My little 'ditty' to P-40 was a little sarcasm on my part. Most opinions of us Floridians is less than fair most of the time. This great State with all it's flaws is still a great state to live in. We are not just a retirement destiny.

If Northerners and Californians only knew what they sounded like. (Not including our Mid-Western friends of course) ;D!