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Tuesday, 06 March 2007 00:00

State of the State - Teacher Pay

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Governor Charlie Cirst says Democrats and Republicans working together will be the key to solving Florida's most pressing problems.

Crist held his first State of the State address today, telling lawmakers they can achieve anything if they put Floridians ahead of their political parties.

His lengthy list of goals includes bringing tax relief to homeowners, developing alternative energy sources, creating paper trails for elections and protecting the environment. He also says giving raises to the state's best teachers is a priority.

“Under our proposal we would increase teacher pay by 10-percent for the top 25-percent of our teachers. This represents a doubling of the current program, and will go along way toward keeping and retaining Florida’s best teachers.”

Crist said the first bill he wants on his desk is the Anti-Murder Act, which would force judges to jail violent felons who violate probation. It’s inspired by three Florida girls who were raped and killed by ex-sex-offenders -- Jessica Lunsford, Carlie Brucia and Sarah Lunde.