28,014 Floridians Urge Gov. Crist to Veto SB 6
Apr 15, 2010
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Bernie Campbell, Media@CIVICconcern.org
28,014 Floridians Urge Gov. Crist to Veto SB 6:
CIVIC Concern Delivers Petition Today
Tallahassee, Florida (April 15, 2010) – More than 28000 Floridians have signed a letter urging Governor Charlie Crist to veto SB 6. The 1402-page petition was delivered to Governor Crist this morning via email. The signatures were entirely the result of electronic grassroots organizing and were garnered in just three weeks.
“Floridians from around the state – parents, grandparents, business owners, teachers, people from both parties and all walks of life – have come together to send a strong message to Governor Crist,” said Bernie Campbell, spokesperson for CIVIC Concern.
The text of the letter reads:
The undersigned 28014 Floridians, concerned citizens from around the state, urge you to veto SB 6.
While many Floridians agree that we need a better system of accountability, this bill punishes all public school teachers and students, especially those children most at risk. It would jeopardize the quality of public education in Florida, focusing inordinate attention on standardized tests and driving good teachers out of the public schools.
Florida would be the first state in the nation to tie teacher compensation (and job security) so closely to standardized test results. Our children won't be taught to think...they'll just be taught to pass a test. We don't want Florida's classrooms transformed into test-prep factories.
How will we persuade good teachers to work in low-performing schools where they are needed most when they risk not just losing pay but losing their teaching certificate if those at-risk kids don't make sufficient gains on the test?
This bill also prohibits school districts from increasing the salary of teachers who seek graduate degrees. If we want better teachers, we should give them incentives to continue their training.
This bill takes control of our schools away from local communities, and it will hurt students and teachers. We oppose it and urge you to do the same.
CIVIC Concern is a non-profit, non-partisan policy incubator, legislative watchdog, and advocate for public policy that benefits ordinary Floridians. For more information, please visit our website at www.CIVICconcern.org.