(C) Florida Phoenix This story was originally published by Florida Phoenix and is unaltered. . . . . . . . . . . FL education officials approve military vet teaching pathway; DeSantis and Diaz on the defensive [1] ['Danielle J. Brown', 'More From Author', '- August'] Date: 2022-08-17 State education officials Wednesday approved a new rule to allow military veterans who meet certain qualifications to head a Florida classroom without receiving a bachelor’s degree, though thousands of teachers are required to get a four-year college degree. In this case, a veteran with a military background would be under the guidance of an experienced teacher, though concerns continue about whether Florida could be lowering standards for teacher qualifications and licensing. But even before the rule was approved, Gov. Ron DeSantis and Education Commissioner Manny Diaz, Jr. were on the defensive about the new teaching pathway for veterans during a news conference this morning. “So you hear some stuff, like I’ve heard some people like in the media – if I get out of bed in the morning they will criticize it. That’s fine, I get that,” DeSantis said Wednesday. “You know, I don’t think it’s very illuminating for the public, but I think that’s just what they do. It’s almost like that tick, a reaction, that’s just what they have to do. If I came out and said the sky was blue they would fact check that and say that was wrong, and so that’s why people don’t trust them.” Education Commissioner Diaz also weighed in to the criticism at the Wednesday press conference, emphasizing that districts and superintendents still need to approve and hire the individuals who utilize the new veteran temporary teaching certificate. “And the end of the day with all the critics, I’ll tell you this: we trust our professionals at the district. We trust our superintendents. We trust our principles to select individuals that fit in the classroom, that will do a good job,” Diaz said Wednesday. “Just because they went through one of these pathways doesn’t mean they automatically get in. So I want to remind folks that there’s a selection process. This really provides us options.” Diaz also reported that 215 veterans have already indicated interest in the teaching pathway, even though the Board of Education did not officially approve the rule to implement the program until Wednesday. The veterans temporary teaching certificate pathway is the result of legislation from the 2022 session, SB 896, which received unanimous approval from the Florida House and Senate, DeSantis noted Wednesday. But the Board of Education needed to approve changes to department rules to implement the veterans’ teaching pathway. Esther Byrd, one of the boards newest and controversial members, previously served in the U.S. Marines and said that certain traits associated with veterans — such as patriotism, leadership, integrity, teamwork and dedication — are “equally valuable traits in teachers.” “It’s just such an incredible marriage of those qualities, to take a veteran who has those qualities and put them in the classroom and they can pass those on to their students,” Byrd said Wednesday . “I just think it’s going to be such a benefit to our students – from a school safety perspective, I can think of no one better to be in a classroom in an emergency situation than someone who has actually faced a life or death situation.” But despite the bipartisan support from the Legislature and the unanimous approval from the Board of Education, concerns remain about the implementation of the program. Some educators and teacher unions say military service may help to become a teacher but the program could undercut the value of a four-year degree, the Phoenix previously reported. And this week, Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried released a written statement: “Let me be clear: we should not be lowering the bar for teachers in Florida. Instead of paying teachers what they’re worth and agreeing to stop politicizing their jobs, DeSantis is trying to let Floridians with no experience and minimal training teach our kids,” Fried said. Fried is a Democratic nominee for the 2022 gubernatorial race in the August 23rd primary, and early voting has already started. DeSantis, who was in the Navy, responded to some of those criticisms too: “Obviously you’ve got to have a certain amount of aptitude to be in front of students. No one’s disputing that. But the idea that somehow you can never set foot in the classroom until you finally have that four-year degree — you know, I don’t agree with that,” DeSantis said. A temporary teaching certificate also requires a bachelor’s degree. The educator, who can teach in a classroom, is allowed for three years to finish additional requirements to procure the professional teaching certificate. And for context, a typical teaching degree requires a bachelor’s degree or higher, along with other qualifications to be able to obtain a professional teaching certificate. But in the case of the new veterans temporary teaching certificate pathway, certain veterans will be able to bypass the baccalaureate requirement in the temporary teaching certificate, so long as they have served four years of active-duty military service and they were honorably discharged. In addition, those veterans would need 60 college credits and earn a grade point average of at least 2.5. (A four-year degree typically requires 120 college credits.) What’s more, a new legislative proposal that DeSantis announced Tuesday may undercut the need for a bachelor’s degree before stepping into a classroom, regardless of whether someone has been in the military or not. This “apprenticeship” program would allow those with a two-year associate degree, who earned a 3.0 grade point average, to teach under the mentorship of an experienced teacher for two years. According to a Wednesday tweet from the Governor’s twitter feed, “Upon completing the program, the apprentice will receive a bachelor’s degree,” though it is not yet clear how. 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