Ron DeSantis: High School coaches need a pay raise

Florida governor Ron DeSantis wants a pay raise for high school coaches.

Show them the money.

That’s the message from Ron DeSantis, who believes that high school coaches in his state should make more. The Florida governor came out this week on behalf of his state’s high school coaches, stating that they don’t make as much as in other states.

Things are certainly on the move in Florida lately, with the state reportedly ready to allow NIL for high school athletes.

DeSantis, who ran in the Republican presidential primary earlier this year, said that there is a significant disadvantage between what Florida high school coaches are making and the rest of the country.

“I don’t want to say that money is everything, but I think you can make more money being like a high school football coach in Georgia because parents can do boosters and stuff,” DeSantis said according to Florida Politics.

“And look, I know there’s got to be guardrails on that, but I want it to be attractive to coach.”

There is a certain level of pessimism that the bill for a wage increase would pass, largely due to the financial implications for school districts as well as taxpayers.

In dealing with other pressing issues in Florida related to inflation and rising costs in the school district, better pay for high school coaches is likely simply not a priority.

It also may not raise the support of the teacher’s union.

In analyzing the issue, the Tampa Bay Tribune raised the question of “whether a substantial pay raise for coaches takes precedence over filling bus-driver shortages or constructing desperately-needed new schools.”

The issue might well be one that is decided based on the letter of the law. The Florida Coaches Coalition said that the stipends paid for most coaches don’t even meet the reasonable minimum wage standard.

That is an obvious issue, the coalition said, “because coaches are paid so far less than minimum wage (in almost all cases, less than 20%) that anyone who sees what we are asking for will ask, “Why don’t coaches in Florida make minimum wage?”