Ron DeSantis on Florida education

Ron DeSantis: Boost Classroom Spending For Students and Teachers, Expand Choice, Vocational and Technical Education, and Hold the Line on College Tuition 

St. Petersburg, Fl
Opinion by: E. Eugene Webb PhD
Author: In Search of Robin, So You Want to Blog.

From the Ron DeSantis Campaign Website

To build a world-class education system & prepare all Florida students for the future, Ron DeSantis will:

• Boost Classroom Spending for Students and Teachers with the 80% Classroom Spending Plan
• Emphasize Career & Technical Education
• Encourage Innovation & Expand Choice in Education
• Recruit, Reward and Retain Good Teachers
• Review and Improve Florida’s Curriculum Standards
• Build an Affordable, World-Class Higher Education System  

Emphasize Career & Technical Education

Ron DeSantis will work to expand vocational and technical education to teach real-world skills to students and help them prepare for the jobs of the 21^stcentury.

• Emphasize Career and Technical Education Courses and Apprenticeship Programs. To improve Florida’s “skills gap”, Ron DeSantis will work with leaders from K-12 schools, postsecondary education, and the business community to better support career and technical education and apprenticeships, and to make sure Florida’s education is meeting the needs of our students and economy. He will make sure that Florida is offering high quality CTE offerings that provide pathways to higher skill and higher wage jobs for Florida’s students. Ron DeSantis will work with the Legislature to incentivize and recognize schools leading their communities in career and technical education programs.
• Allow Mastery-Based Curricula in Career and Technical Education Classes. To help students get a job as soon as they are ready, Ron DeSantis will support mastery-based curricula in career and technical education, which will allow students to complete these programs as soon as they demonstrate the proper competency.
• Expand Apprentice and Pre-Apprenticeship Programs. To expand job opportunities for Floridians, Ron DeSantis will work with the Florida Legislature to find ways to support and expand apprenticeships for jobs in high-demand fields.

Recruit, Reward and Retain Good Teachers

Ron DeSantis will support policies that reward high-performing teachers and reduce teacher shortages while ensuring Florida students learn from the best.

• Reward High-Performing Teachers. To reward and retain the best teachers, Ron DeSantis will work with the Legislature to simplify and optimize the teacher merit pay evaluation system so it is based reasonably on classroom performance. He will also look to generate financial savings by reducing unnecessary education bureaucracy and will direct the Legislature to use excess funds to provide more funding for merit pay bonuses for outstanding teachers.
• Address Teacher Shortages. To help recruit the best teachers, Ron DeSantis will work with the Legislature to expand programs that incentivize top educators to teach in Florida and to develop programs that incentivize and reward teachers in more demanding or specialized positions, such as teaching Florida’s special needs students.

Build an Affordable, World-Class Higher Education System

Ron DeSantis will support and expand higher education programs that ensure Florida’s state colleges and universities offer students a world-class education at an affordable rate.

• Enhance Performance Funding. To encourage the continued performance of Florida’s universities and support the ongoing climb of Florida public universities in major rankings, Ron DeSantis will work with the Legislature to increase performance funding and enhance other programs that have proven effective at improving 4-year graduation rates, increasing student retention rates, lowering student costs, and reducing student debt.
• Protect Taxpayers’ Investment in Florida’s Higher Education System. To ensure government does not waste taxpayer dollars in Florida’s higher education, Ron DeSantis will hold state colleges and universities accountable for wasteful and inappropriate spending.
• Hold the Line on Tuition and Student Expenses. To minimize students’ costs and reduce student debt, Ron DeSantis will work with the Legislature to keep tuition as low as possible by looking for administrative spending reduction opportunities while also supporting Bright Futures Scholarships and other programs that reduce the financial burden on Florida’s students. He will also look for ways to curb additional costs for students, such as textbooks and other fees.
• Support our College System. To support the success of the Florida College System and the important role it plays in our education system, Ron DeSantis will work closely with the Legislature and college system leaders to ensure that it remains one of the most dynamic and effective systems in the country. Ron DeSantis will also work with the Legislature to increase performance funding for our State College System. Hundreds of thousands of students throughout the state expand their opportunities and brighten their futures by enrolling at our state colleges. We must continuously look for ways to make them more efficient and effective.

To Read More:  Check out the Ron DeSantis Campaign Website

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Disclosures:

Contributor to: Rick Scott for US Senate , Ron DeSantis for Florida Governor

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