2010 Education Legislation:
The Bad, the Ugly and Not Much Good

This year, legislative leadership is pushing a series of bills that together would create dramatic changes for Florida public schools. Many of these changes are facing sharp criticism. Here we detail the most important education proposals.

Clicking on each bill number will bring you to a quick reference page where you can find out the best action to take right now, download the bill text and the legislative staff analysis, and find out exactly where it is in the legislative process. We strongly encourage you to take action on any or all of these that you are concerned about!

Let's begin with the ugly...

Senate Bill 6/House Bill 7189

Sponsored by Senator John Thrasher (R-Jacksonville), this bill makes fundamental changes in how teachers are hired, fired and paid. While many on both sides of the aisle agree that more flexibility and accountability is needed, this legislation is perceived by many as an attack on public school teachers. Florida would be the first in the nation to tie teacher salaries so tightly to their students' standardized test scores.

Facing salary cuts, contract termination and even the loss of their teaching certification if student gains are deemed insufficient, the best teachers are unlikely to be willing to work in low-performing, high-risk schools with the students most in need of their expertise.

Here are some of the more controversial elements:

  • School districts are required to base 50% of teacher's pay each year on student gains on standardized tests. But there is no special provision made for teachers with disadvantaged students, which means there is no consideration given to the large number of factors affecting student performance over which a teacher has no control (home environment, for example, which effects everything from reading ability to whether they went to bed on time and had a decent breakfast before test day). The bill also doesn't address the fact that the lowest-performing students also tend to be the most transient -- the makeup of a teacher's classroom can change as much as 80% in the course of a year. How do you decide which kids' scores affect which teacher's paycheck with that kind of turnover?
  • School districts will no longer be allowed to consider teaching experience or advanced degrees in determining salary. In fact, they will face financial penalties imposed by the state if they choose to do so. If the goal is to increase teacher quality, why remove incentives for teachers to seek graduate education? And why remove incentives for experienced teachers to remain in the public schools? Critics suggest that these measures punish all teachers, especially the best, rather than just ineffective ones.
  • Teachers will no longer have tenure and will be granted only annual, single-year contracts. They can be fired if their students' gains on standardized tests are insufficient. They can even lose their teaching certificate. Just as with salaries, the legislation makes no provision for teachers working with high-risk students.
  • The bill would also eliminate programs that address regions with critical teacher shortages and that provide loan forgiveness for teachers willing to serve in low-performing schools.

Senate Joint Resolution 2/House Joint Resolution 7039

In 2002, voters overwhelmingly approved an amendment to the state constitution mandating smaller class sizes in all Florida classrooms. Faced with a looming deadline for full compliance, legislative leadership is now balking on funding this constitutional mandate and instead will place a measure on the 2010 ballot asking voters to roll back the requirements.

The bill would place language on the ballot for voter approval to change the requirement in the constitution to require class sizes to be evaluated only at the school level average, not the classroom level average. This change would allow class sizes to increase up to 21 in K-3, 27 in grades 4 to 8, and 30 in grades 9 to 12.

National research has confirmed a strong correlation between smaller class sizes and student achievement. And voters have already told the legislature that this is how they want their tax dollars spent. Rather than spend taxpayer dollars for a new referendum just eight years later asking voters if they were really sure they wanted smaller classes for their kids...shouldn't the legislature just obey the constitution and fund the current requirements?

Now for the bad...

Prekindergarten Funding

Initially, the House and Senate appropriations committees both proposed cuts of 15% in per-child funding for pre-K and also recommended putting up to four more children into each classroom.

Steve Barnett, executive director of the National Institute for Early Education Research, said that classes with up to 24 children and cuts of nearly $400 per child would give the state's preschool program some of the worst funding and standards of any state-run prekindergarten operation in the nation.

When voters passed a constitutional amendment requiring the creation of a statewide voluntary prekindergarten program, the amendment also included the requirement that the program be "high-quality." Barnett believes any expert would find Florida's Pre-K to be far from "high-quality."

After an outcry from Pre-K providers and advocates around the state, the budget passed by the House budget contains only a 1% cut, which certainly isn't positive, but it won't devastate programs across the state as a 15% cut would have. The Senate budget still includes the 15% cut. We'll let you know when it's time to take action.

Senate Bill 4/House Bill 7053

Several years ago, CIVIC Concern commissioned a study of Florida's accountability system. The study sharply criticized over-reliance on the FCAT for purposes not appropriate for a standardized test. One recommendation was a shift to end-of-course examinations. The proposal was fleshed out further by CIVIC expert and USF professor Dr. Sherman Dorn and has since been the subject of various types of legislation.

But just as the bill above goes much further than necessary to weed out bad teachers, damaging good teachers too, this bill takes a good idea and does it badly.

High school students would be required to pass end-of-course exams in a number of specific courses in order to graduate. They would have to pass an examination in higher-level science (chemistry or physics, plus another equally rigorous science), regardless of whether they are college-bound. The bill makes no provision for students who are pursuing a more vocational/technical route, and may not need or have the ability to pass exams in these subjects. The bill also provides very little time or money for these exams to be developed and implemented.

While eliminating the use of the FCAT for grading high schools and as a requirement to high school graduation is a positive step that fits with the reforms recommended by CIVIC experts and others, this bill goes too far, creating a one-size-fits-all system that risks increasing the drop-out rate (and Florida already ranks among the nation's worst).

And now for the one of the few rays of light in this year's proposals...the good:

Senate Bill 1096/House Bill 105

This legislation is titled "Justice Sandra Day O'Connor Civics Education Act" and it would increase the exposure of Florida's students to broad civic education. Middle schools students would be required to take a semester civics course that covers the roles and responsibilities of federal, state, and local governments; the structures and functions of the legislative, executive, and judicial branches of government; and the meaning and significance of historic documents, such as the Articles of Confederation, Declaration of Independence, and Constitution of the United States. In addition, the reading portion of the language arts curriculum within the Sunshine State Standards would include civics education content at every grade level.

One of CIVIC Concern's core missions is building an informed, engaged citizenry. This additional civics education required by this legislation will help to ensure Florida students finish school with the tools they need to be effective participants in our democracy.

Take Action

Sign the Letter Urging the House to Stop SB 6

Join other concerned Floridians in a letter to Speaker Cretul, the council and committee chairs, and other House member urging them not to take up Senate Bill 6. Click here to sign. And after you to sign, use the email, Facebook and Twitter tools to urge others to join you.

Contact Your Senator and Representative...Right Now!

You can use our easy tool to find your elected officials and email or call them. Refer back to this article for information you can use when you are writing or talking to them. And personalize your message -- they need to know that you're passionate about your position!

Contact the Legislators Responsible for the Bill's Next Stop

Clicking on each bill number above will give you a page with quick links to the actual legislation, staff analysis and current status. We'll keep these updated with the contact information of the committee chair and members responsible for the next stage of the process.

Spread the Word...There is Power in Numbers

There are countless easy ways to make sure your friends, neighbors, colleagues and family are informed about the issue and ready to join you in taking action. Here are a few easy ideas:

  • Post a link to this article on your Facebook page. Urge your FB friends to read the article and take action. And while you're at it, suggest that they sign up for our email blasts so that they can get timely, urgent action alerts. (And you're already a fan of CIVIC on Facebook, right? If not, click the button on the right column!)
  • Use the email button at the top of this page to send this article to your contacts. And in your email, encourage them to sign up at CIVIC, get informed and join you in taking action.
  • Write a letter to your local newspaper. But hurry, these bills are moving quickly! We have an online tool that makes it simple to submit your letter to all your local news outlets. Remember to be concise and explain your position.

Read More

St. Petersburg Times: Florida Republicans push major school overhaul

"An increasingly conservative Senate pushed forward a series of Republican-led education measures Tuesday that could dramatically alter the landscape of Florida's public schools." More

Orlando Sentinel: Despite growing enrollment, budget cuts would pack more kids into pre-K classes

"Florida's pre-kindergarten program would be forced to place six more children into each class next year to help offset deep budget cuts moving forward in the state House and Senate. But classes with up to 24 kids and cuts of nearly $400 per child would give the state's preschool program some of the worst funding and standards of any state-run pre-kindergarten operation in the nation, according to a national expert." More

Jacksonville Times-Union: Education bills set to pass; Crist endorses teacher pay measure

"Senate Republicans turned away a series of Democratic amendments on education bills Tuesday, setting the stage for a sweeping overhaul of the laws governing public schools to clear the chamber as soon as today. The bills - which would revamp teacher contracts, ease class-size standards, expand a voucher system backed by state tax credits and toughen high-school graduation standards - have quickly become some of the most controversial measures of the legislative session." More