Flawed teacher’s bonus program based on SAT/ACT scores the Legislature wants to be made permanent

The Tampa Bay Times is reporting that Florida House Education Committee will consider legislation to make the flawed and controversial ‘Best and Brightest’ teacher bonus program permanent. (see ‘Florida’s controversial teacher bonus based on SAT scores returns’; http://www.tampabay.com/blogs/gradebook/floridas-controversial-teacher-bonus-based-on-sat-scores-returns/2255954)

This would mean that potentially the State Legislature would spend $44 million taxpayer dollars a year to give teachers up to $10,000 in bonus wages—but only if they had SAT or ACT test scores in the 80th percentile. The Florida Senate is also going to be taking up this issue and they have a little different approach. They still want to tie the bonus to SAT and ACT scores but they want to lower the scores required down to the 60th percentile in hopes of giving more teachers and opportunity of receiving the bonus.

Here is a thought—if the Legislature wants to reward those teaching (and I greatly welcome that thinking) why not provide those funds proportionately to each district to distribute as they see fit locally. Why is the Legislature micromanaging our local communities? Why are those that are often critical of the Federal Government’s overreaching tactics are doing the same thing to local school districts?

If this is about trying to help with the national and state wide teaching shortage we are entering then there are far better methods to encouraging and incentifying people to become teachers. For example increase teacher college tuition grants which are then tied to minimum number of years of service in a public school. This would both benefit the individual teacher and our schools and communities.

$44 million tax dollars last State budget cycle were set aside to give teacher bonuses due to test scores many of them took as juniors and seniors in high school. Further the Legislature ignored again the concerns of this program expressed by parents, teachers, administrators, superintendents, school board members, and community leaders. We must ask again—when it comes to public educational policies and funding who does the Legislature listen too?

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Chronicle on HJR 539: ‘Politics has no place in schools’

Thank you Chronicle for understanding why this proposed bill (HJR 529-http://flsenate.gov/Session/Bill/2016/0539) is not good for students, schools, our communities and tax payers.

Read their editorial by visiting this link; goo.gl/GjQgNs

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New Proposed Bill Targets School Boards

This is how they want to help education? Sure seems like political payback…

On Tuesday, two Florida State Legislators, Sen. Jeff Brandes (R), and Rep. Matt Caldwell (R), filed bills to ask Florida voters to amend the state constitution Article IX on education to permit abolishment of local school districts by law, and to change School Board elections from “nonpartisan” back to “partisan”.

I encourage you all to read Times Writer, Jeff Solochek, article, “Proposal aims to alter Florida school districts” in the Tampa Bay Times for better understanding of the bill; http://home.tampabay.com/news/education/k12/proposal-aims-to-alter-florida-school-districts/2252653

Parents, students, teachers, administrators, superintendents and school boards have been speaking out critically this year about the many negative impacts the “educational reforms” (such as student and school accountability systems, Florida Standards, and high stakes testing mandates), have had on our students, which the Florida Legislature has put into law over the last several years. With all the actual monumental public educational overhauls that these Florida stakeholders have made abundantly clear that are needed, this was not one of them.

It is hard to not identify this bill as political payback by these Legislators, and their desire to change State Constitution to permit them to pass more laws to further control School Boards and local schools even more.

What seems to make this even clearer that it is all about politics and not what is best for students, is the Legislators desire to change School Board elections from “nonpartisan” back to “partisan”. Our School Boards should be focused on our students and not partisan agendas. I would suggest that a far better proposed State Constitution amendment would be to remove the word “partisan” from the School Superintendents elections and all local elections.

I urge us to contact our Legislators and encourage them and their colleagues to not support this bill in any way.

We will continue to monitor this bill over the coming months and will keep you posted.

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