Florida's new education commissioner to make $276,000 a year

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — Florida's newly hired education commissioner is getting paid nearly $300,000.

State records show that former House Speaker Richard Corcoran is getting paid $276,000. That's the same amount that former Commissioner Pam Stewart was paid.

Stewart spent her entire career in education. She started as a teacher in the 1970s and spent time as a principal and a deputy school superintendent along the way.

Corcoran is an attorney and Republican politician who was hired at the urging of Gov. Ron DeSantis. While he was House speaker he pushed to expand private school vouchers and charter schools.

Marva Johnson, the chair of the State Board of Education, said Corcoran deserved to be paid the same as Stewart.