Happy Monday, Orlando. We’ll start the week off with mostly sunny skies, with the possibility of a stray shower or storm. Temps are heating back up - Expect highs of 95° and lows of 77°. Here’s what’s on deck:

• As School Year Begins, Florida’s Teacher Shortage Remains a Major Concern

• What’s Happening this Week?

Let’s dive in.

EDUCATION

As School Year Begins, Florida’s Teacher Shortage Remains a Major Concern

What’s happening: Heading into the 2024-25 school year, Florida's teacher shortage remains a significant challenge despite substantial education funding in the state's FY2023-24 budget. A recent Florida TaxWatch report highlights that while teacher vacancies decreased by 13% for the first time in four years, they are still more than double the 2016-17 levels, signaling ongoing concerns.

Key factors:

• Declining interest: The teaching profession is becoming less attractive, with a significant drop in education degrees among new graduates. From 1970-71 to 2019-2020, the percentage of education degrees among women fell from 36% to 6%.

• Job stress: Teaching is a high-stress job, with 59% of teachers experiencing frequent job-related stress and 60% facing burnout, exacerbating the retention crisis.

• Low pay: Florida teachers earn an average salary of $53,098, which is 32% below the national median for bachelor’s degree holders, making the profession less financially appealing.

• Cost of living: Florida’s high cost of living, driven by expensive housing, insurance, and healthcare, further discourages potential teachers.

However, Florida policymakers have made an effort to address issues, focusing on areas like:

• Salary boosts: Florida has allocated significant funds for teacher salaries, including $1.25 billion for the Teacher Salary Increase Allocation in FY2024-25, and over $4 billion since 2019.

• Housing assistance: The Hometown Heroes Housing Program offers financial assistance to educators for home purchases, aiming to mitigate the impact of Florida's high living costs.

• Alternative certifications: New pathways, such as the Teacher Apprenticeship Program and opportunities for military veterans, aim to attract non-traditional candidates into the profession.

The bottom line: Despite efforts to address the teacher shortage, Florida faces an uphill battle in making teaching an attractive, sustainable career. Competitive disadvantages in pay and work conditions suggest that more robust measures may be needed before a meaningful reduction in the ongoing shortage is seen.

Read more here (Apopka Voice)

ON THE DOCKET

What’s Happening this Week?

1. DTOLive is bringing live music to Orlando venues every night this week. Click here to view the full list of performers and locations.

2. Saturday Night Live’s Marcello Hernandez will perform at Addition Financial Arena on Wednesday night at UCF. The show starts at 8 PM.

3. The Edison at Disney Springs is hosting its inaugural Bartenders Bash on Thursday night from 6 - 8:30 PM. The event will feature a silent auction with 100% of the proceeds funding nonprofit Give Kids the World.

QUICK HITS

In Other News…

1. Red Bull’s Double or Nothing wakeboarding competition will return to Ivanhoe Village on September 7th.

2. Brooklyn Water Bagel is bringing its New York-style bagels to Lake Nona and Clermont, with both locations opening in the next two months.

3. The Orlando Magic released their regular season schedule for the upcoming season, with the first game set to tip off in Miami on October 23rd.

Thanks for tuning in to today’s edition of the newsletter. See you back here tomorrow.

Was this email forwarded to you? Sign up here.

Interested in sponsoring O-Town Daily? Let us know here.