New Education Commissioner Pam Stewart likely will find herself caught in the middle as Florida's schools chief.
The State Board of Education removed the first word from interim Education Commissioner Pam Stewart’s title last week.
But Board member Kathleen Shanahan had a strange question for a job interview: Tell me again who you work for?
“And I just want to make sure from Pam, that she understands – with full clarity – who she reports to?” Shanahan asked.
“Kathleen, I think that we all know that we serve many masters,” Stewart responded. “But, ultimately, this board is the boss of the commissioner of education and I am fully aware of that and understand that.”
Shanahan’s question was prompted by two years education commissioner turnover. Five people have served as Florida’s education commissioner since Gov. Rick Scott took office in 2011.
“PARCC is too expensive and it takes too long,” Scott said Wednesday, indicating he may issue an executive order about the test. House and Senate leadership have also said they oppose using the exam.
It’s difficult to argue that PARCC won’t require students to spend more time testing. Students will spend up to 10 hours a year on testing and some exams are twice as long as the current test. But PARCC includes more complex, open-ended questions designed to measure critical thinking. It’s up to state officials to decide whether that’s worthwhile.
But is it more expensive? Most analyses shows PARCC will cost about the same or less than what the state currently spends on FCAT.
Florida Gov. Rick Scott said Wednesday that PARCC will take too long and is too expensive.
Gov. Rick Scott may join House and Senate leadership in opposing a multi-state test tied to Florida’s new math, English and literacy standards and designed to mostly replace the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test, according to the Times/Herald Capitol Bureau.
“PARCC is too expensive and it takes too long,” Scott said. “So I’m looking at a variety of things, whether it’s an executive order, some administrative and some legislative, to try to fix that.”
Scott also said he would try to address what he called “too much federal involvement” — an overture to tea party groups who consider the new benchmarks and tests an example of federal overreach.
Scott’s remarks came one day after state Board of Education members blasted him for failing to provide clear direction on the standards and exams, which will replace the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Tests beginning in the 2014-15 school year.
Sen. John Legg, R-Lutz, has posted the Common Core standards to the Senate website and wants to hear questions and complaints before lawmakers return to Tallahassee next year.
“Please contact me directly at legg.john.web@flsenate.gov with your comments, suggestions, or concerns on the specific standards,” Legg wrote in an email. “Because your participation is critical in the continuous improvement of our educational standards, I will be welcoming your comments from now through the upcoming Legislative Session.”
Board member John Colon said he wanted the continuity Stewart brings to the job. Florida has had five education commissioners hold the high-profile and high-pressure post since March of 2011. Board members praised Stewart’s experience.
Stewart steps in at a challenging time. Florida is trying to implement new math and English standards, known as Common Core, as opposition to the standards is on the rise. The state must also choose a new standardized test tied to Common Core to (mostly) replace the FCAT.
Gov. Rick Scott's leadership was criticized by State Board of Education members with ties to former Gov. Jeb Bush.
Two State Board of Education members criticized Gov. Rick Scott’s leadership on education issues Tuesday, highlighting a rift between Scott and former Gov. Jeb Bush.
Board members Kathleen Shanahan and Sally Bradshaw — who served as former Bush chiefs of staff — said Scott needed to show more leadership on Common Core State Standards and other education issues.
The board is meeting in Palm Beach County today.
Shanahan said Scott did not attend a recent three-day education summit held in Clearwater and did not take any policy positions following the summit. Shanahan said she heard rumors that Scott would issue an education-related executive order and the board had not been consulted.
“It’s embarrassing for him that he’s disrespecting the statutory integrity of this board,” she said. Shanahan said Florida education was in a “crisis,” which drew disagreement from board chairman Gary Chartrand — a Scott appointee — and interim Education Commissioner Pam Stewart.
But opponents of the standards, known as Common Core, have turned up the heat throughout the spring and summer. The opposition hails from the political right and the political left, and their concerns range from whether local school districts and the state are ceding control over education, the quality of the standards and the amount of testing associated with Common Core.
That’s what lawmakers face as the return to Tallahassee next week for the first week of committee meetings to prepare for the 2014 legislative session.
Florida is in the midst of transitioning to the new standards, which outline what students should know at the end of each grade. The standards are scheduled to be used in every grade by the time classes start next fall.
The draft budget is one item on a busy State Board of Education agenda tomorrow. The board will also discuss what’s next in hiring a new education commissioner and a new rule for determining residency for in-state tuition.
In total, the agency’s $15.1 billion request for the budget year beginning July 1 is $65.3 million less than the current spending plan.
The plan calls for every school district to receive at least $75,000 for technology projects (pg. 139), with the remainder of the $40 million distributed according to student enrollment. The first priority for the money is improving computer networks, but districts which meet state benchmarks could use the money for devices.
But Florida still spends 3.9 percent less — $157 per student — on education now than it did in 2008 prior to the Great Recession. At least 34 states still spend less on education now than in 2008, with 13 states cutting spending by 10 percent or more over the period.
House Speaker Will Weatherford, a Republican, takes questions from the Suncoast Tiger Bay civic club.
We caught up with House Speaker Will Weatherford at yesterday’s meeting of the Suncoast Tiger Bay civic club.
Weatherford, a Wesley Chapel Republican, took questions about Obamacare, Stand Your Ground and requiring power customers to pay the cost of new nuclear plants up front.
Weatherford said he expects Common Core to be a big topic as lawmakers return to Tallahassee for committee meetings next week. Weatherford said he supports high academic standards, but admitted critics raised some legitimate concerns about Common Core.
Q: We’ve got the first bill introduced that would put a hold to [Common Core]…What kind of debate do you expect next year and what’s the plan up until next year to educate people about it and get the discussion going?
A: I think having a debate about standards is always a good thing to have.
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