TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — Gov. Rick Scott is trying to enlist support from the State Board of Education for giving all Florida teachers a $2,500 pay raise.

A letter from Scott pitching the proposal is being presented at the board’s meeting Monday in Orlando.

The Republican governor defends his break from GOP orthodoxy. Republicans have in recent years promoted merit pay for teachers as opposed to an across-the-board raise.

Scott writes that all Florida teachers should get a pay raise for reasons that include earning the highest overall grade from the National Council on Teacher Quality.

He also notes the Legislature already has passed a law requiring performance pay based heavily on student test scores. That law, though, is being challenged in court by the Florida Education Association, the statewide teachers union.

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