Florida Governor Ron DeSantis wants to raise the minimum salary of Florida teachers to $47,500. The governor said his proposal would lead to a boost in pay for more than 100,000 teachers statewide. The National Education Association says Florida ranked 27th in the nation for average teacher starting pay at $37,636 during the 2017-2018 school year. The national average starting salary was $39,249. Education Commissioner Richard Corcoran said raising the base salary would help schools retain and attract new teachers.