House Speaker Will Weatherford and Senate President Don Gaetz say teachers may get their raises sooner than expected, but the size of the raises will be based on performance.
Teachers might not have to wait another year for a raise after all.
But according to the budget, that money won’t be in paychecks until June 2014.
Lawmakers say a technical fix should get teachers their raises before next year.
“We need to give the school districts a little more flexibility to spend that money sooner, and we can do that in a conforming bill,” House Speaker Will Weatherford said.
By now, most Florida parents have heard the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test is on its way out. But they might not know a whole lot about what’s replacing the FCAT.
The legislation that failed last year on a tie vote in the Florida Senate seems to have a better shot this time around, with a new makeup of lawmakers and a few concessions.
The Senate is expected to pass the Parent Empowerment in Education bill, which gives parents a bigger say in how to deal with a chronically failing school.
During a Senate hearing yesterday, the bill was amended to give the final say to the local school board, although the board would have to issue a report explaining its decision if it differs from the parents’ turnaround option.
That’s different from the version approved by the House, which gives the State Board of Education the final authority if the school board and the parents disagree.
Earlier this month, 150 members of the Tampa 9/12 Project – a group which shares some of the goals of the Tea Party — met to hear from a critic of Common Core standards. Curtis said people left the meeting thinking Florida should take a second look at the standards.
John O'Connor / StateImpact Florida
Tampa resident Tim Curtis says he is concerned about the federal government is encouraging states to adopt Common Core State Standards. Curtis would like the state a timeout to study the standards further.
“First and foremost it’s not a federal issue,” Curtis said. “Tell me something that we’ve done at the federal level, especially here of late, where it’s been such a booming success.”
The standards have been fully adopted by Florida, 44 other states and the District of Columbia. Common Core lays out what students are expected to know in math and English language arts by the end of each grade.
The standards streamline the number of topics schools teach children in each subject. Common Core also requires teachers ask students what they know and to prove how they know it.
Legislatures and schools across the country are seeing opposition to the Common Core as more states approach the deadline to begin using the standards and accompanying tests.
The Governor’s Office says the funding provides every teacher a minimum of a $2,000 pay raise, with raises as high as $3,500 for teachers rated “highly effective.”
Questions have been raised about petition signatures submitted by StudentsFirst. The group was founded by former D.C. school chancellor Michelle Rhee and supports parent trigger laws around the country.
The session’s most controversial education bill — the parent trigger — hits the Senate floor today.
The bill would allow the majority of parents at a school earning a failing grade to choose how to restructure the school. The options include closing the school, firing the principal or staff and converting to a charter school.
But as a vote nears, a petition and video from parent trigger supporters have been questioned.
McGrory also found three people listed on a petition submitted by StudentsFirst, another advocacy group supporting the parent trigger, who claimed they had not signed the petition.
Opponents of the parent trigger have claimed the bill is being pushed by professional advocacy groups — perhaps funded by the charter school management industry — and doesn’t have the support of actual Florida parents.
Today’s vote is expected to be close. Opponents of the parent trigger told us Saturday that they don’t know how the Senate will vote.
Last year, the bill failed on the session’s final day on a tie vote. Questions about the veracity of petitions or promotional videos might influence a crucial vote.
“Day Three felt reasonable. If they got rid of Day Two, when even my good students didn’t get to the essay sometimes, the test would feel a lot more reasonable. Is it fair to test the tests on kids though? Didn’t they test the timing?
Anonymous – Teacher”
“Gov. Scott has been diligent about listening to teachers,” Bennett said. “One of the things that I can say with great hope is that by the time this legislative session ends, a number of the concerns brought forth in the suit are actually going to be addressed.”
The biggest complaint is that a teacher’s evaluation may be based on the academic performance of students in a different class or even another school — students the teacher never taught.
Patricia Sullivan speaks during a rally against Common Core at the Capitol. Protesters were asked to lobby legislators about slowing down implementation of the new standards.
A mom of four from Mount Dora is doing her best to convince Florida lawmakers to slow down the Common Core train.
Florida is scheduled to complete the transition to the new academic standards in time for the 2014-15 school year.
Patricia Sullivan home schools her kids and is concerned about the changes home school families may have to make. Students who want to go to college, she said, will have to take Common Core tests.
Her work is part of a sudden turn nationally against the Common Core standards, and supporters — such as former Gov. Jeb Bush — who have been leading the effort.
The paddle at Sneads High School in Jackson County, Fla. sits on the principal's desk.
The Marion school board has voted to reinstate paddling in county elementary schools after a three-year hiatus.
The punishment comes with a few restrictions. From theOcala Star-Banner:
The board ruled that paddling can be used only if a parent gives a standing written OK once a year. In addition, the principal must obtain verbal permission at the time the punishment is handed down.
Under the policy, corporal punishment can only be used at the elementary school level. It can only be used on a child once a semester. Principals are not bound to use the punishment.
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