The restrictions on how educators can teach and the lack of pay has deterred education majors, like sophomore Aidan Wright, from wanting to teach in Florida.

Wright’s hesitation represents a larger issue facing Florida teachers. This year, the Florida Education Association reported a teacher shortage of over 4,000 educators. This has left “potentially…hundreds of thousands of students without a full-time teacher.”

“I think that people look at the benefits of teaching in other states or even working as virtual educators and they significantly outweigh the pros/cons of teaching in Florida,” Wright said.

Wright said the recent bills would have to be repealed for him to want to stay in Florida to teach after he graduates. For Wright, this includes bills that determine how sexuality and race are addressed in classrooms, including the “Don’t Say Gay” bill and the “Individual Freedom” bill, respectively.

Related: USF community protests DeSantis’ higher education proposals, investigations as part of statewide walkout

“The recent actions of the Florida government towards education have made it so that I do not feel that I can teach to the best of my ability,” he said.

For Trayana Small, a senior elementary education major, the pay worries her, but she said she does not want to be a teacher “for the money.”

“I’m in it for how I feel while I teach when I’m with my students,” she said. “When I’m with my team, I genuinely love education and learning and teaching and kids so money will work itself sout…”

Related: ‘We’re not getting respect’: USF Education majors fear future as teachers amid book bans

Small, who is graduating this semester, has accepted a position as a kindergarten teacher in Pasco County. She said there are always jobs available because of the shortage.

“Unfortunately teacher pay is extremely low for teachers who have taught for years,” she said. “In addition to this, the teachers in the classroom are experiencing burn out due to the extra work they are required to do outside of the classroom.”

USF experienced a 63% decrease in enrollment from 2010 to 2020, prompting program cuts in the college of education, according to a November 2020 Oracle article.

This year, USF’s College of Education has 2,091 graduate and undergraduate students enrolled in the college, according to the 2023-24 fact book. 

A recent bill, House Bill 13, known as the “Save Our Teachers Act” died in committee in March. If it had passed, the base salary for full-time teachers would have been $65,000. Instead, the base salary remains at $47,500, according to the Florida Department of Education.

Educators’ average salary in the state is $51,230, which is the third lowest in the country, according to the National Education Association. The association estimated this results in a livable wage of $49,625. YahooFinance estimates the average annual cost of living in Florida is $34,287.

Wright said the pay is “most certainly” a factor he had to consider.

“I think I could do with the pay if I felt as though I was providing a fulfilling education to my students,” he said. “Unfortunately, with those bills in place, I don’t feel as though I would be doing that.”

Related: Bills in this year’s legislative session represent an ‘overreach,’ faculty senate president says

Wright said he plans to take advantage of programs that provide housing and tax benefits to educators who are willing to teach in lower income areas. 

Small said she has backup plans, including working in a different country, if the challenges facing teachers become too much. 

“Otherwise, Publix would be my backup plan,” Small said. “It just wouldn’t make me happy like teaching does.”

Freshman elementary education major Keara Llanos Rodriguez said she wants to teach upper elementary school after she graduates.

“I really love working with kids, especially in that age group and grade level, and I want to make a safe space for learning for students,” she said.

Related: Taylor Swift USF course to be taught this fall

While she plans to work in Florida as a teacher for a couple of years, she said she may want to move to a different state.

She said the salary is “definitely something” she has worried about. Rodriguez also mentioned pay is likely a contributing factor to the teacher shortage in Florida.

“It’s a combination of lack of pay and a kind of dismissal for teachers’ concerns from faculty and parents,” she said.

For Rodriguez, the state would have to start with higher pay to encourage her and her peers to teach in Florida.

“I probably will continue to worry about it,” she said. “But, I think my wanting to teach outweighs the worry, at least for now.”