Just weeks after Hillsborough County schools eliminated 333 full-time jobs and 424 vacant positions, companies assisting the district are now hiring new substitute teachers.
Kelly Staffing trains and hires substitute teachers throughout the state and is advertising starting positions at $8 an hour, with an average substitute teacher wage of $11 per hour ($21,210 annually). The lower wages than permanent teachers were paid has drawn criticism from teachers and education advocates.
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics May 2019 Metropolitan and Nonmetropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates, the annual mean salary for primary school teachers is around $59,000, while the annual mean salary for substitute teachers is $36,550.
Over 17 people in the district earn more than $100,000 a year, a budgeting decision many teachers also see as unjust. Protests and petitions are demanding that teachers stay in classrooms and districts instead have pay cuts at the highest levels.
Condé Nast Traveler ranks St. Petersburg high as ‘A Weekend Getaway’ for murals
St. Petersburg just made the mark at spot number 10 on Condé Nast Traveler 2020 Reader’s Choice Awards for U.S. cities to visit, and art is part of the reason why.
The recognition was mostly due to artwork found throughout the city, especially downtown where the Shine Mural Festival is turning St. Pete into an open-air museum.
Twelve murals showcase different artists from across Florida. From now until Saturday, you can watch several artists paint their murals in real-time.
Each mural will have an interactive plaque for visitors to learn more about the artist and Shines’ ocean conservation efforts. Once the murals are finished, viewers can download the app Pixelstix and scan the plaques at each mural to find out more.
The Florida Trailblazer brings nature exploration to your screen
With the pandemic keeping people quarantined, and not showing signs of slowing down, there are many ways you can use this time to get in touch with nature and get a snapshot of the great outdoors.
YouTube vlogger Joe Dunn is showing people how to do just that, exploring Florida’s untamed wilderness and hidden historical sites on his channel “Florida Trailblazer.”
“For me, when making these videos and coming out to these areas, exploring and sharing about them is to reach as many people as possible, inspire them and influence them to come out and appreciate these places before they get lost forever,” said Dunn.
Dunn works with archaeological networks to record and document sites that are threatened by development and erosion by the natural elements.
His main passion and focus has been exploring the forgotten and overgrown trails of Florida along with its wildlife and remains of its frontier past.
“You have to consider there’s over a thousand people moving to Florida every day and not many know about these beautiful areas that we have and the history as well,” said Dunn.
Even during the pandemic, Dunn continues his work on YouTube and his personal blog. On his channel, you can watch him explore historical sites such as Florida’s 12th governor’s abandoned mansion and abandoned ghost towns and even watch him save a dog who fell in a cave.
Credits
Anchors: Trevor Lloyd, Diana Halum
Reporters: Cheyenne Pagan, Garrett Shiflet
Producer: Calista Muncy
Writer: Deanna Lampasona-Colon
Graphics editor: Nova Knight
Associate Producer: Ashley Reyes
Video Editors: Garrett Shiflet
Show Editor: Vanessa Galluppo
Web Editor/Social Media Producer: Jack Albury IV
Graduate Assistant: Emmanuel Maduneme
Faculty Advisers: Jeanette Abrahamsen, Wayne Garcia
