TALLAHASSEE — The Florida House and Senate both have plans to expand a bonus program for teachers, but what little chance there was of a teacher pay increase faded Wednesday as the lawmaker who proposed the idea dropped it.
Sen. David Simmons, who chairs the PreK-12 Education Appropriations Subcommittee, said he no longer is pursuing his proposal for a $200 million pay increase, deciding instead to back expansion of the Best and Brightest teacher bonus program. Simmons, R-Altamonte Springs, said the bonuses would provide money to retain veteran teachers and recruit more to join the profession.
“That’s the crisis I think we’re trying to be proactive about…
