Much of the criticism surrounding a Florida law allowing military veterans to fill classroom vacancies "is a lie," a state lawmaker who sponsored the legislation told Fox News.
"It's this obsession to criticize anything and everything that [Gov.] Ron DeSantis does and to try and discredit the success that Florida has had in leading the nation in many ways," Florida Rep. John Snyder, a Marine Corps veteran, told Fox News.
Faced with a shortage of 9,000 teachers, both chambers of the Florida legislature voted unanimously in favor of Snyder’s bill allowing veterans to obtain a five-year temporary teaching certificate even if they don't have a bachelor's degree. But many teachers unions oppose the initiative.
"You can’t just throw a warm body in a classroom, that’s not the answer," Sarasota County Teachers Association President Barry Dubin told the Herald Tribune. "There are other agencies that are out there to advocate for veterans and take care of them as they should, but it’s my job to look out for the students and those educating the students."
FLORIDA SCHOOL DISTRICT VOTES TO HIRE 140 TEACHERS FROM SOUTH AMERICA AMID US SHORTAGE
Military veterans without bachelor's degrees will be eligible to teach in Florida classrooms for up to five years, provided they meet other criteria including passing a competency test on the subject they plan to teach. (iStock)
Snyder, a Republican, said the "notion that every single active duty veteran can now just walk into a classroom, that is a lie."
Veterans must have served a minimum four years of active-duty military service with an honorable or medical discharge, have at least 60 college credits and pass a competency test on the subject they plan to teach to be eligible. The certificate can’t be renewed, so veterans will need to complete their bachelor’s degree to keep teaching after the initial five-year period.
Veterans hired by a school district will be assigned a fully-licensed teacher as a mentor for at least two years.
"What we did with this legislation was say, 'Hey. Let's not let that piece of paper be the barrier to keep a quality individual outside of the classroom,'" Snyder said.
More than 250 veterans have already applied under the plan, according to Snyder.
Terry Thomas, pictured right of center in the back row, poses for a group photo during firefighting school in 1978 at Maxwell Air Force Base in Montgomery, Alabama. (Photo courtesy of Terry Thomas)
Air Force veteran Terry Thomas sees himself as a walking prototype of the bill. About 20 years ago, he used his experience as a registered nurse and paramedic to obtain an alternative teaching certificate. Now, he teaches at West Florida High School’s Critical Care & Emergency Medicine Academy, a career-focused program that can help students obtain an EMT or electrocardiogram technician certification.
"Everything I learned in the Air Force, I still use today," Thomas said. "All the organizational skills, the discipline, the attention to detail … and now I get to teach that to children in high school."
A retired Marine officer called the plan "a stupid idea" in an essay published on the military news website Task & Purpose and argued that "a competency test is no substitute for a degree."
"Military experience is valuable, but it’s not magical," Carl Forsling wrote. "We need to stop thinking of veterans and the military as ‘easy buttons’ for hard problems."
Broward Teachers Union President Anna Fusco told the Miami New Times that Florida should have increased teacher salaries more to attract qualified teaching candidates.
"It completely devalues what a teacher needs to do to be credentialed and prepared," Fusco said. "It's just like a military person, police officer or firefighter: You train to be able to get there and be the best you can for the people you serve."
Thomas disagrees with critics accusing Florida of lowering its standards.
"I see it as an amplification of the standard," he said. "Most [veterans] have lived all over the world. They've been exposed to cultures and people and languages and technologies and job requirements that coming right out of college does not afford you."
An airman reads to children March 23, 2022, on Scott Air Force Base, Illinois. Florida officials hope veterans will begin teaching in classrooms as soon as this year under a new plan meant to address teacher shortages. (U.S. Air Force Photo by Tech. Sgt. Natalie Powell)
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Florida has taken several steps to try to recruit more educators, including allocating $800 million in this year’s budget to raise the starting salary for teachers to at least $47,000 a year, placing it ninth in the nation. But pay in the state doesn’t increase much with experience: the average teacher salary was $51,000 in 2021, according to the National Education Association, putting Florida 48th in the nation.
The State Board of Education adopted the rules regarding military veterans this month. Snyder hopes removing one more barrier to employment will help get veterans in classrooms as soon as this school year, while also keeping standards high.
"We know not every veteran automatically is going to make a great teacher," Snyder said. "So we want to make sure that we're attracting the right kind of talent, we're putting the right kind of supervision in place … to see them flourish."
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