- April 17, 2024
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Relying on federal coronavirus relief funds for schools, Gov. Ron DeSantis is proposing to spend $106 million to bolster civics education, including offering bonuses to teachers who complete training.
During a news conference March 17 in Naples, DeSantis announced what he’s calling the “Civic Literacy Excellence Initiative.” Part of the plan would direct the Florida Department of Education to create the Florida Civics Seal of Excellence, a licensure endorsement for educators. “Under this initiative, the department will partner with national leaders in civics professional development to provide a series of modules and micro-credentials that any Florida teacher will be eligible to attain,” DeSantis said.
Teachers who complete the civics training would receive a $3,000 bonus under the governor's plan. The initiative would also include $16.5 million to create training programs for principals and educators “seeking to elevate civics education in Florida schools” and $17 million to strengthen the state’s civics curriculum. DeSantis wants lawmakers to take up the proposal during the ongoing legislative session.
“Understanding what our country was founded on, understanding the civic tradition, the Constitution, all these things, has become very much a lost art,” DeSantis said.
Several proposals aimed at beefing up civics education are advancing in the Legislature. A House measure (HB 5) that would direct the Department of Education to create a video library of first-hand accounts of “victims of other nations' governing philosophies” is ready for consideration by the full House.
