There’s a new “shortcut” to becoming a teacher here in the state of Florida, and it’s being offered to all military personnel, veterans and their spouses.

The bill went into effect on July 1 and creates an additional pathway for military service members to get a five-year, temporary teaching certification, without requiring a bachelor’s degree.

It does require 48 months of active-duty military service with an honorable discharge or a medical separation. Applicants must meet most of the general requirements for all people seeking teaching certifications. They must complete subject-area content requirements or demonstrate mastery of the subject-area, and they must complete 60 college credits with a minimum grade point average of 2.5.

Not all parents and teachers are excited about the plan, though, and some have a lot of concerns, like Andria Moore, who is a Pinellas County teacher, and has two children herself.

Andria’s sister is also a teacher, and military spouse, but she says her sister completed all the requirements. “My sister, as I mentioned, is a teacher. She holds a Master’s degree in teaching, and she taught for many years, and being a military spouse, she’s taught in other states.”

And while her sister did all the schooling, Andria is concerned about the new bill allowing military personnel, veterans, and their spouses to get their certification without it.  

“It’s really great that military members have an opportunity to become teachers, but bringing them in with no experience, or background, isn’t helpful either for the person coming in, or the classroom itself,” said Andria.

Andria holds a Master’s degree in Business Administration, but she says she even had to go back to school when she decided to become a teacher. “I had to go through a lot of rigorous steps and many hours of training with the county, also additional college courses in education, in order to be an effective classroom teacher.”

Now, she says she’s thankful for all of that training. “What I’m facing in the classroom now is very diverse and challenging, more so than it’s ever been before, and not having had a background in being in the classroom, stepping into that, I don’t see how somebody like that could be successful.” 

The Hillsborough Classroom Teachers Association agrees with Andria, saying while a lot of military service members make great teachers, they just can’t support waiving any requirements. 

“We know that this is a very difficult field to work in public education, and finding, and understanding, the nuisances of meeting the needs of the kids is very detailed, so getting them that training is super important for these kids in our community,” said Rob Kriete, with HCTA.

Andria says she knows veterans and service members bring a lot of amazing skills and values to the classroom. She just hopes the training is there so they can make the most of it, and students don’t pay the price.  

Proponents of the bill say it could help with the teacher shortage we’re seeing across the country. Right now, there are 700 instructional positions open in Hillsborough County, and 174 vacancies in Pinellas County.

The Military Kids-Special Education Alliance says it’s difficult for service members and their spouses to complete their undergrad degree when they have to move so much, or are deployed, but this bill gives them an opportunity.

“What this does is it decreases the barrier so Veterans, and their family members, who may not have been able to fully complete their undergraduate degrees. It allows them to take the exam to show and demonstrate that they are qualified to be an educator as they continue to pursue their education,” said Josephine Amato, CEO of the Military Kids-Special Education Alliance.