Grading Florida Gov. Rick Scott on Education

Background

Florida Gov. Rick Scott has aggressively pushed to change Florida schools since taking office in January 2011.

The first bill Scott signed into law required all state school districts to design a system to evaluate teachers and then pay teachers based on their rating.

The bill also stripped long-term teacher contracts, riling teachers and their unions and sparking a lawsuit challenging the law.

Scott has also been a vocal supporter of charter schools, staging press events at charters in Jacksonville, Opa-Locka, Orlando and elsewhere. Scott did not visit a public school until seven months into his term.

Scott also angered many when he vetoed capital funding for repairs and construction at traditional public schools and universities while signing off on similar money for charters.

As he heads into his second term Scott wants to refocus state universities on graduating more science, technology, engineering and math students to help fill jobs in expanding fields. Scott has also floated the idea of a “parent trigger” law, which would allow a majority of parents to vote to convert a district school into a charter.

Scott also pushed lawmakers to quickly pass a change in state law so Florida could apply for a federal early childhood education grant. If Florida wins the grant, the money would test student progress and train and assess instructors in the state’s voluntary pre-Kindergarten program.

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April 17, 2012

Education Items Among Gov. Rick Scott’s $142.7 Million In Budget Vetoes

Gov. Rick Scott’s $142.7 million in budget vetoes would cut a number of higher education programs, including those in the science, technology, engineering and mathematics fields which Scott has championed over the past year. Scott wrote in his veto message that the state’s colleges and universities will have to choose their priorities wisely. Scott’s main […]

March 29, 2012

Student Group Asks Gov. Rick Scott To Veto Tuition Bill

University of Florida senior Andrew Hecht understands the bind in which university president Bernie Machen finds himself. The legislature has cut funding for higher education for several years — and another $36.5 million for the next school year. The money schools depend on to renovate and expand campus facilities is drying up. And Machen is […]

March 13, 2012

Wrapping Up Education Bills In The 2012 Florida Legislative Session

The big school issue was the budget, and Gov. Rick Scott threw out a challenge early on — add $1 billion to K-12 funding or risk a veto. Lawmakers hit that target, though schools say the new money won’t make up for rising enrollment and past budget cuts. Here’s a wrap-up on the other big […]

February 2, 2012

Why Gov. Rick Scott Can’t Prevent University Tuition Hikes

Gov. Rick Scott has thrown out a handful of education markers for lawmakers this session, most notably threatening to veto any budget that does not increase K-12 funding. Scott told lawmakers that he also opposes a proposed budget that would raise tuition at state universities. But it’s worth underlining a passage in the Orlando Sentinel’s […]

January 30, 2012

Who Tops Florida’s School Rankings?

Schools in Brevard, Miami-Dade and Okaloosa counties were the top rated elementary, middle and high schools, respectively, according to a school rankings the Florida Department of Education released Monday. The agency followed up on its evaluation of state school districts by ranking all 3,078 schools from first to worst. Local school officials have criticized the […]

January 25, 2012

STEM Students And Programs Focus of University of South Florida Study

University of South Florida professor Will Tyson recently won a $1.2 million National Science Foundation grant to study science, technology, engineering and math education, known as STEM. STEM is a hot topic in education circles as policy makers try to figure out ways to produce more graduates with high-tech skills necessary for a transforming economy.Gov. […]

January 20, 2012

Student Group Unhappy With Gov. Scott’s Board of Governors Choices

A Florida student activist group says Gov. Rick Scott has appointed too many businessmen and developers and not enough people connected to the state’s universities and students. The Florida Alliance for Student Action is planning a March 1st statewide protest. The group is also concerned about a bill that would strip a student-chosen representative from […]

January 19, 2012

House Budget Matches Gov. Scott’s $1 Billion School Request

The Florida House is proposing a budget that would match Gov. Rick Scott’s goal of adding $1 billion for K-12 education, according to the Orlando Sentinel. Speaker Dean Cannon, R-Winter Park, said adding the money won’t be easy, but the state’s economy is improving. From Cannon’s press release: We have endeavored to prioritize the most […]

January 18, 2012

Florida House Leader Says “We Share the Governor’s Goal” on Education Budget

House Speaker Dean Cannon says he shares Gov. Rick Scott’s goal of adding $1 billion for Florida schools, but stopped short of committing to the money in next year’s budget. Cannon, R-Winter Park, spoke with Mark Simpson of Orlando’s WMFE. “It’s too soon to tell,” Cannon said. “That’s one of those areas where we share […]

Florida Department of Education Offers No Details on New School Rankings

Last week we noted a Fortune story including an anecdote about Gov. Rick Scott wanting to rank every Florida public school from best to worst. Intrigued, we asked the Department of Education about Scott’s request. Is this something the agency is just studying? When will the first rankings be released? What’s the methodology? Will the […]