SEFFNER, Fla. — Gov. Ron DeSantis is asking legislators to overhaul the way teacher bonuses are calculated and to start a new program to retain teachers in Florida.

  • DeSantis wants lawmakers to improve 'Best and Brightest Program'
  • Governor is also proposing new teacher recruitment program

The governor made the announcement Thursday at Armwood High School in Seffner.

He said he wants an overhaul of the Best and Brightest Program that relies heavily on standardized test results to determine teacher pay. He wants to see $22 million pumped in for teacher pay raises based on a new merit system that would give raises to 45,000 teachers and thousands of school principals.

"One of the things that I said we need to do during the campaign was to make sure we were rewarding and retaining our great teachers," DeSantis said.

The governor is also proposing a new teacher recruitment program. He wants to see $10 million a year for five years for new teachers that commit to staying in Florida for those five years.

How quickly all of this happens will be up to Florida legislatures. Both of the proposals will require passage by the Florida House and Senate.