Commissioner Kamoutsas Commends Governor DeSantis for Continuing to Prioritize Education in the Floridians First Fiscal Year 2026-2027 Budget

December 11, 2025

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Commissioner Kamoutsas Commends Governor DeSantis for Continuing to Prioritize Education in the Floridians First Fiscal Year 2026-2027 Budget

Tallahassee, Fla., December 11, 2025 — Yesterday, Commissioner Anastasios Kamoutsas and the Florida Department of Education celebrated Governor Ron DeSantis for his ongoing dedication to preserving Florida’s standing as the nation’s leaders in education. The Governor’s recommendations once again prioritize educators, increasing teacher pay for the seventh consecutive year. The Floridians First budget proposes an additional $200 million for teacher and instructional personnel salaries or other personnel compensation costs, which would bring total funding to a historic $1.56 billion for Fiscal Year 2026–2027. The recommended budget also boosts the per-student funding level to $9,406 – an increase of $279 per student. In addition, the Governor is recommending $300 million, an increase of $10 million, for the Safe Schools Allocation to further support safety and security across campuses in Florida.

“When I became Commissioner, I set two main goals: student achievement and school safety. I am proud to say the Governor’s recommended budget prioritizes both of these goals,” said Commissioner of Education Anastasios Kamoutsas. “I thank Governor DeSantis for his sustained efforts to ensure Florida remains the nation’s top state for education.”

The Governor’s proposed budget for Fiscal Year 2026–2027 reflects the impressive progress Florida’s students continue to make and reaffirms the state’s strong commitment to providing every student with access to the educational pathway that best meets their needs. The Floridians First budget:

• Provides an additional $200 million to increase the salaries of teachers and other eligible instructional staff or for other personnel compensation costs. This historic investment increases the total commitment from Governor DeSantis to increase teacher salaries to $1.56 billion.
• Continues to invest in school safety initiatives with $300 million for the Safe Schools Allocation, an increase of $10 million from the prior year. This additional investment ensures Florida’s students and teachers are in a safe and secure learning environment.
• Allocates $190 million, an increase of $10 million, for the Mental Health Allocation, as well as $5.5 million for Mental Health Awareness and Assistance Training.
• Provides more than $106 million for facility hardening at our K-12 schools and higher education facilities.
• Provides a total of $12.5 million for the Guardian Program of which $6 million is to expand the program at the state colleges and universities to ensure all of Florida’s students are learning in a safe, secure environment.
• Includes $483.4 million for Florida’s Voluntary Pre-Kindergarten (VPK) program, dedicated to providing early learners access to a high-quality, free VPK program.
• Provides $10 million, an increase of $6.5 million, for the Florida Civics Seal of Excellence Endorsement that will allow more than 2,700 educators to receive a $3,000 stipend for enhancing their civics knowledge by completing the endorsement program. The budget also includes $1.5 million to enhance the Florida Civics and Debate Initiative, expanding access to competitive civics and debate programs for all Florida students.
• Commits $800 million to support workforce education programs to ensure Florida students are prepared to fill high-demand, high-wage jobs. This includes $20 million for the Pathways to Career Opportunities Grant with $5 million dedicated to the Teacher Registered Apprenticeship Program. Since 2019, Governor DeSantis has invested more than $12 billion to workforce education to ensure Florida meets the goal of being the #1 state for workforce education by 2030.
• Invests $130 million to support nursing education and workforce initiatives. $100 million is dedicated to the Prepping Institutions, Programs, Employers and Learners through Incentive for Nursing Excellence (PIPELINE) to reward excellence in nursing programs and $30 million for the Linking Industry to Nursing Education (LINE) fund to incentivize collaboration between nursing education programs and healthcare partners.