Florida Schools Allow Veterans to Temporarily Instruct Without Degrees to Help Ease Teacher Shortage

August 1, 2022 Updated 12:30 P.M. ET

TALLAHASSEE (FLV) – Florida schools ramping up for the upcoming school year can hire veterans without degrees to help fill teaching gap in the classrooms.

A new Florida law that went into effect in July will give qualified veterans the ability to temporarily teach until they receive a college degree.

“And this is a great pathway for us to be able to have our veterans in this veteran-friendly state, step up to the plate and fill in those vacancies,” Florida Education Commissioner Manny Diaz Jr. said in a Fox News interview.

Criteria for veterans to receive a temporary certificate:

– Served four years in Military with honorable discharge
– At least 60 college credits
– 2.5 GPA
– Pass a subject area examination

“Giving them the opportunity to get to the bachelor’s degree and finish the requirements that are required for all teachers in the state,” Diaz said.

So far, there have been 83 applicants who want to teach through this pathway. Diaz said work ethic, structure, time management and other soft-skills veterans learned in the military can transfer to the classrooms.

“This is important in our classrooms because we’re missing some of that with today’s younger generation,” he said. 

The interviewer cited 9,500 school vacancies that need to be filled for the school year.

“I think the 9500 number is wrong,” Diaz said. That may include some other vacancies that may be support personnel but we do have vacancies in the state.”