4,500 FL Teachers Earn Civics Seal of Excellence, Receive $3,000 Bonus

TAMPA, FL — As part of his commitment to provide public school students with a civics education, Gov. Ron DeSantis announced that the first 4,500 teachers have completed the Civics Seal of Excellence endorsement course and will receive a $3,000 bonus.

Enrollment for the course is at capacity with 20,000 teachers enrolled and 14,000 teachers on the waiting list for the civics teacher professional development program.

The Civics Seal of Excellence endorsement was launched in January, and more than 10,000 teachers registered for the course in the first week of the 50-hour endorsement program available to Florida teachers as part of Florida’s Civic Literacy Excellence Initiative.

“The U.S. has had a civics education crisis for many years, so Florida has stepped up for our students,” said DeSantis. “Boosting civics education and engaging our students is the best way to preserve the constitutional foundations that our country was built upon. These $3,000 bonuses provide a strong incentive for Florida teachers to put in the time necessary to take our civics course and earn the Civics Seal of Excellence.”

“A robust civics education is necessary for students to become upstanding citizens,” said Florida Commissioner of Education Manny Diaz Jr. “No state has made a more comprehensive effort to prepare its teaching workforce for civics excellence than Florida, and that’s a testament to Gov. DeSantis’ leadership. The Civics Seal of Excellence Endorsement will greatly benefit our educators, students, state and country.”

The governor prioritized civics education throughout his first term. In 2020, he established the Florida Civics and Debate Initiative for students to learn about history and compete with their peers. Florida hosted the first ever national Civics and Debate Championship in 2021.

By the end of this school year, Florida aims to have this initiative available to students in every county in the state.

Florida’s Civic Literacy Excellence Initiative also included a three-day Civics Excellence teacher training course in the summer of 2022 for teachers to increase their knowledge of civics in addition to the creation of supplemental materials for civics lessons including the Civics Reading List and the Portraits of Patriotism video series to further student interaction with civics.

Additionally, under Florida’s Civic Literacy Excellence Initiative, the governor awarded $6.5 million to Polk State College, Broward College and Florida State College at Jacksonville to establish civics academies in partnership with local school districts.

A thousand students will participate in the academies beginning in August. The civics academies will allow students to start learning about the importance of public trust, government efficiency, and the role of the state and nation.