Commissioner of Education Manny Diaz, Jr. Highlights 13.3% drop in Teacher Vacancies and Model Volunteer Chaplain Policy at State Board of Education Meeting

August 21, 2024

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Commissioner of Education Manny Diaz, Jr. Highlights 13.3% drop in Teacher Vacancies and Model Volunteer Chaplain Policy at State Board of Education Meeting

Tallahassee, Fla., August 21, 2024 - Today, the State Board of Education met for the August Board Meeting to implement rules related to accountability for Voluntary Prekindergarten Programs (VPK), the new School Readiness Plus program and created a new Florida Seal of Fine Arts program. Commissioner Diaz gave remarks highlighting the Florida Department of Education's success with teacher vacancies declining by 13.3% since last year and average vacancies per school dropping to 1.11. The Commissioner also highlighted the Department's Model Policy for school districts to utilize when establishing the newly passed Volunteer School Chaplain Program for credible chaplains to volunteer at Florida schools. Additionally, Commissioner Diaz gave updates on Florida's success in ensuring school safety and the expansion of the Purple Star program at schools, districts and state colleges.

"Today's State Board actions reinforce Florida's long-standing commitment to high quality instruction for all students, including our youngest learners" said Commissioner of Education Manny Diaz, Jr. "Ensuring that every child has the tools that they need to be successful in school is a top priority."

At the meeting, the State Board approved a new VPK program accountability rule for calculating each VPK provider's performance metric and designation. The rule establishes key definitions for quality, achievement and learning gains in addition to implementing new metrics for calculating VPK provider accountability and performance. Additionally, the Board approved provisions for local early learning coalitions to implement the newly created School Readiness Plus program that extends child care services for families who have exited the federally-funded school readiness program.

In other action taken today, the State Board of Education approved a new rule implementing the Florida Seal of Fine Arts Program, which recognizes high school graduates who have met exemplary benchmarks in fine arts coursework for the award of a seal on a standard high school diploma. The rule establishes the eligibility criteria for a student to earn the distinction.