More than 11K Florida teachers receive $3,000 each for Civics Seal of Excellence Endorsement

Gov. Ron DeSantis announces totals

WPTV | By: Allen Cone | July 3, 2023

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — Gov. Ron DeSantis on Monday announced that more than 11,000 Florida teachers have each earned their Civics Seal of Excellence each worth $3,000.

The bonuses totaled more than $33 million for completing civics training offered by the Florida Department of Education.

Educators completed the Summer Civics Professional Learning Series or the first-of-its-kind Civics Seal of Excellence Endorsement, which help provide teachers with high-quality civics instruction.

The program was launched in January.

Course enrollment reached capacity with 20,000 enrolled and an additional 11,000 educators on the waiting list.

People who hold a valid and certified Florida teaching license are eligible to register for this course.

There are 185,000 public school teachers in Florida.

Nationally recognized civics experts created the 50-hour online program that contains more 28 hours of h video lessons focused on America’s history, civics and government.

“Understanding the founding principles of our nation is the key to protecting and maintaining our republic for generations to come,” DeSantis said. “Florida teachers are leading the way in civics education, which is demonstrated by our student success, especially when compared to the rest of the nation. Congratulations to our educators who have taken advantage of Florida’s unique civics professional learning opportunities.”

In 2020, DeSantis established the Florida Civics and Debate Initiative, which focused on using debate as a tool to enrich civics education.

“Schools that participate in the FCDI have demonstrated higher pass rates on both the Civics and U.S. History End-of-Course Exams than schools without an FCDI team,” the governor’s office said in a news release.