Admitting it wasn't a perfect bill, Jacksonville Republican Stephen Wise was all smiles early Thursday, after the Florida state Senate followed his lead and approved the teacher reform and merit bill known as SB 736, or the "Student Success Act," on a 26-12 vote.
Although immediately after the vote Senate President Mike Haridopolos showered praise upon Wise for working with school officials on the bill in the wake of the veto by Governor Crist of a different version of it last year (SB 6), school union officials that CL spoke with over the past week say that's been a bit hyped.
Unquestionably they say that Wise did reach out in a way the supporters of SB 6, sponsored last year in the Senate by St. Augustine's John Thrasher, did not, but say that though they might have been at the table, their input was ultimately limited to what ended up in the final legislation.
Lawmakers who both supported and criticized the bill said they feared that there wasn't enough money available, as this post written on the Orlando Sentinel's website alludes to:
State Sen. Bill Montford, D-Tallahassee, who is also the executive director of the Florida Association of District School Superintendents, noted that the Florida Legislature had tried a number of school reforms including merit pay for teachers, but they have not functioned well because the state’s coffers have run dry.
Even if the law is in place, Montford said, the districts still need dollars to boost the salaries of teachers whose students are performing well on exams.
“I’m afraid that it will collapse under its own weight because of the funding,” he said.
Supporters of the bill did not directly respond to Montford’s concerns, but many lawmakers have previously said that they hope by the time the new evaluation system is in effect — in 2014 — that the state’s finances are in better shape.
The bill would require that 50% of a teachers evaluation would be tied to student achievement tests, such as the FCAT and others. Public school officials say those tests need a lot more refining to determine if they can accurately gauge a teacher's effectiveness. Supporters of the bill say it will be a good thing for teachers, because it will allow those deemed to be high quality to make more money than they currently do. It would also get rid of poor performing teachers, but union officials again say those tests aren't strong enough now to make that determination.
The Senate bill would tie teachers’ evaluations to their students’ test scores, as measured by the Florida Comprehensive Assessment test and other not-yet developed tests. Those scores would then be used to make decisions about a teacher’s pay and whether they should continued to be employed.
The state House of Representatives will debate and possibly vote on their version of the bill, sponsored by Miami Republican Erik Fresen, next week.
This article appears in Mar 10-16, 2011.
