2:26 a.m. Friday: Florida Republican House passes radical merit pay bill for teachers; on to Crist

[seafan]

The outcome of this radical affront to Florida's teachers, students, and the state's public school system now lies in Governor Crist's hands.

There are millions of people here who want Crist to do the right thing by the people and veto this abomination.



2:26 a.m. Friday: House passes teacher bill, next move up to Crist|Poll


By Josh Hafenbrack | Sun-Sentinel Tallahassee Bureau
April 9, 2010 at 5:05 a.m



(bold type added)

TALLAHASSEE - After an after-hours, marathon session, the Florida House passed a landmark teacher merit-pay bill early Friday morning that aims to put the state at the forefront of a controversial national push to tie teacher compensation to student performance.

The bill (SB6) identical to the Senate version that passed two weeks ago, upends the current salary system based on years worked and advanced degrees earned. In its place, it creates a new, complicated plan that ties teacher pay largely to student learning gains on standardized tests.

The merit-pay plan was part of a sweeping rewrite of the state's educational system given final legislative approval Thursday night and Friday morning. The package includes a constitutional amendment to roll back class-size caps, replace the controversial FCAT with end-of-course exams and massively expand the state's voucher program that pays for low-incomes students to attend private and religious schools.

The House began debating the merit-pay measure at 5 p.m. Thursday – and didn't take a final vote until 2:26 a.m. Friday, after 69 House members debated for 10 or 15 minutes each with dueling talking points. The final vote: 64-55.

.....

Every House Democrat and 11 Republicans opposed the measure, but the GOP's lopsided majorities in Tallahassee provided just enough cushion to push it through. Now, it's up to an undecided Gov. Charlie Crist on whether to veto the bill or sign it into law.

Under the bill, pay raises for Florida's 167,000 teachers would be based primarily on student test scores. No longer would years of experience and degrees dictate teacher salary. Instead, pay would hinge on student "learning gains," as charted by standardized tests, and principal reviews.

In addition, the bill would eliminate tenure job protections for teachers hired after July. New teachers would work on one-year contracts, which would be renewed only if their students show testing gains two out of every three years.

The late-night session is relatively rare, especially to decide such a weighty issue. ..... Rep. Kevin Rader, D-West Palm Beach, said he wished the House had started the teacher tenure debate in the morning, so they could have concluded it while most Floridians were still awake.
"This is the most important bill to affect public education, and we're debating it at 12:20 a.m.," he said. "I hope it wasn't intentional."

.....

Reminds me of the farce called the Medicare Part D drug bill and Tom DeLay.







Jeb Bush's singular, overriding mission has been to utterly decimate the public school system in Florida and to mow down the teachers' union, for the primary reason that they do not usually vote for Republicans.

Despite several unfavorable public voting outcomes and state Supreme Court rulings of unconstitutionality of his school voucher program, Jeb continues pushing his radical educational *reforms* onto the people. He will never stop. It is an industry with Jeb Bush, as he engineers his operatives into key positions in state government to force through his radicalized educational agenda to privatize education and to use state funds to support religious schools.

Jeb Bush will not stop until he transforms Florida into a radical Christian theocracy.

Then, it will be on to the White House.




Hafenbrack continues:

.....

Florida would become the first state in the nation to enact such a broadside on teacher tenure, which Republicans said would reward excellent teachers with higher salaries and get rid of a system that promotes mediocrity.

Democrats were "bordering on fury," in the words of Rep. Evan Jenne, D-Davie. Critics expressed alarm about linking teacher livelihoods to student scores, even though teachers can't control external factors such as student's home life or socioeconomic status.

The bill is "discouraging and insulting" to (t)eachers, said Rep. Keith Fitzgerald, D-Sarasota.

"The impact of this bill could well be devastating to the morale of teachers around this state," he said. "It amounts to a gigantic social experiment" on testing and teachers.

"Teachers are teachers -- not miracle workers," said Rep. Julio Robaina, R-Miami, one of the Republicans to cross party lines and oppose the bill.

.....

Republicans who voted NO:

The group of 11 House Republicans who voted no on SB6, the teacher tenure bill:

Faye Culp; Ed Homan; Marcelo Llorente; Peter Nehr; Pat Patteson; Ron Shultz; Charles Van Zant; Michael Weinstein; Juan Zapata; Julio Robaina; J.C. Planas.

They were joined by all 44 Democrats. Final vote: 64-55.

Hafenbrack concludes:

.....

Republicans said it's essential to get rid of teacher tenure. The system means "no matter how bad you are, once you've been there for three years, short of committing some heinous crime, you can't be fired," said Rep. Paige Kreegel, R-Punta Gorda. "Tenure means never having to say you're sorry."

"We believe good teachers should be paid more," added Rep. Anitere Flores, R-Miami.

The big question now: What will Crist do? Although he'd previously expressed support, Crist is now considering a veto, citing teacher concerns. The governor said before Thursday's vote he hasn't decided what he'll do, but added he's "listening to the people of Florida, my boss." He has a week to act.

Crist's office has been inundated by opponents of the bill: 6,161 phone calls, 6,597 e-mails and another 3,358 "organized campaign" e-mails as of Wednesday. By comparison, 53 residents called or e-mailed the governor to voice support.

Republican legislators are furious about Crist's shift. "He's told me he's going to sign it, and I take him at his word," said Senate sponsor John Thrasher, R-St. Augustine.

The Jeb Bush Agenda for Florida, and ultimately for the rest of the nation:


Roll back the small class-size amendment that Floridians have already approved. Check.

Force the state's public funds to flow into private and religious schools. Check.

Starve the public school system of teachers and funds. Check.


AND, decimate the teachers' union. Triple check.



And the biggest farce of all of this is that the Bushes traipse down to ritzy hotels in Southwest Florida every year, or over to FOX, to profess their love of education.






See, it all works out very well for Jeb Bush.



Right now, Florida is under final assault from this hard right Bush wrecking ball.

[JackintheGreen]

1. 1 year contracts renewable based on 3 years' progress?

:wtf: I know it's a small point in a larger crap bill, but it's likely indicative of the deeper inconsistencies written into the bill.