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Florida House Passes Bill Linking Teacher Pay To Student Performace
April 9, 2010
[Tallahassee] In an early morning vote, the Florida House approved a comprehensive education reform measure that will start paying teachers based on student performance rather than length of service. The bill passed 64-55.
The House continued nine hours of debate until a vote at 2:26 a.m. Eastern Time Friday on the teacher merit pay measure. Northwest Florida’s House members — Greg Evers, Dave Murzin, and Clay Ford — all voted in favor of the plan.
“I want to thank all the teachers, parents, and constituents for their input,” said Rep. Murzin in an early-morning news release. “Our teachers are valuable to Florida and rewarding them for their hard work is important. I am hopeful this increases the quality of education and as a father with a son in public school I am ready to do anything in my power to make Florida better in the classroom.”
“This bill is anti-student, anti-teacher, anti-parent, and anti-public schools,” the Florida Education Association said in a news release just two minutes after the vote.
The future of public school teacher pay is now in the hands of Gov. Charlie Crist. The governor has been coy, though, about what he might do with the bill. He told Sen. John Thrasher, R-St. Augustine, the Senate sponsor of the measure, that he intended to sign it, but publicly hinted he might wield the veto pen. He told reporters Thursday morning that he hadn’t yet made a decision and planned on watching the House debate.
“The more you listen, the more you learn,” Crist said. “There are things I like and things that give me some concern,” in the bill. I’m listening to the people of Florida – my boss.”
The legislation, which was passed by the Senate 21-17 two weeks ago, would take five percent of a school’s funding to create a performance pay fund, which would dole out salary increases based on two criteria. The first would be overall performance factors such as class management, subject mastery and an advanced degree. The second part of a teacher’s evaluation would be based on learning gains made by students on standardized exams.
Proponents of the legislation said teachers should be paid on results, not on years of service.
“We have to find a way to pay these great teachers more,” said Rep. Anitere Flores, R-Miami, the chair of the House Pre-K-12 budget committee.
The debate over the bill has been a highly political and partisan process. The proposal has been championed by former Gov. Jeb Bush’s education foundation and opposed by the teachers’ union, which financed Bush’s 2002 gubernatorial opponent, Bill McBride.
Several amendments offered over the last few days were struck down angering Democrats and some Republicans who noted that the bill still needed some work.
Lawmakers have been flooded with thousands of letters, emails and phone calls over the issue and teachers have turned out in bulk to protest the legislation, backed by Democratic legislators who came out swinging during floor debate Thursday night. Most Republican lawmakers have remained steady in their support for the bill though.
Democratic Leader Franklin Sands said that lawmakers should be more considerate of teachers’ opinions because they know how the measure will affect them, not lawmakers.
“This is like spending a night at a Holiday Inn … and waking up an expert, and all of a sudden knowing what’s best for our teachers,” said Sands, D-Weston. Eleven Republicans split from the party to side with the Democrats in the final vote.
Julio Robaina, R-Miami, who voted against the legislation, said that the numerous unknowns of the bill concerned him.
The Department of Education still must determine how it would define learning gains and the testing mechanism to measure those gains. The department was involved in the drafting of the legislation and has been working closely with Vanderbilt University, which has done significant education research, on how to develop this criteria.
“It’s got a lot of good provisions in there, but it’s not complete,” Robaina said. We’ve got a lot of work to do.”
Education Commissioner Eric Smith has told lawmakers they will be ready to work on implementation should the bill pass. He has also said that the measure could help the state in its application for the second round of competition for the federal Race to the Top grant.
Pictured above: Rep. Keith Fitzgerald debates the teacher merit pay bill Thursday night in the Florida House. David Royse for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
The News Service Florida contributed to this report.
Comments
26 Responses to “Florida House Passes Bill Linking Teacher Pay To Student Performace”
I hate this for the teacher’s they already have a hard enough job as it is. How about if your kid has 2 unexcused absences in a 9 week period they have to be home schooled. These kids and parents these days need to be held accountable for what they do and do not do. This has nothing to do with the quality of teachers we have. Same as the cops they have a hard job and always get the bad rap. Stop and look at your own children and their grades if you can’t make them learn and behave how is a teacher going to do it 1-5 hours a day.
justsayin:
I feel the same way you do. I would love for anyone who feels it is necessary to come and observe me as I teach. In fact, I welcome it. I also agree that I am so over all of this.
CONCERNED PARENT, I paid well over $10 to certify in two subject areas, along with other required endorsements. I spend countless hours of my off time in classes to keep my current certification. The state of Florida did not contribute one penny to my education.
So, if you want to discuss how this compares to other licensing, I don’t have certification insurance. I don’t have liability insurance. I don’t have a lawyer on retainer. My certification isn’t dependent on my breaking the law, it will be dependent on the type of students sitting in my class and the test they that was designed by A TEXTBOOK company. Is your driver’s license connected to the type of car you drive or the quality of the roads? Really?
If this bill passes, I won’t have any assurance of my employment unless I can pick my students. There are other ways to assess the quality of my work. I would welcome an administrator to spend more than 10 minutes in my classroom. I would love to have other teachers observe my teaching. I’m happy to put it on video for all to see. I’ll be happy to take a test annually to prove my competence. I’ll pass it because I am highly qualified for my job. I have no problem with proving that I’m a dedicated professional with the necessary skills to do my job.
Just please don’t penalize me if my students do not fit in the “highest percentile” in the school. If you do that, then you’ll soon find that students are lumped together by ability. Teachers with political pull and family/social connections will have high performing students, the rest of us will not. There will be an invisible line drawn between the kids that excel and those who do not.
This bill is not for the children of Florida. It is designed to sell a test to the state then sell curriculum to the state that is based on the test. They, the publishing companies, have milked the FCAT all they can. They, the publishing companies, are running scared because states are running out of money to buy shiny new books with inaccurate information in them. What if there was a law that mandated you purchase all new appliances for your home every six years? It doesn’t matter that the old ones work. It doesn’t matter if you were successful with the old appliances. By the way, your neighbors voted for this particular brand so you must also purchase that brand. bah! I grow tired of this!
I have nothing further to say on this matter. I’m over it.
As a parent with children with disabilities I think this is great maybe now they will be able to learn instead of being changed around so much maybe this will show how these children are left behind.
Old Cherokee~ This bill does not work like that. You don’t just have one year of kids perform well and get a raise, then move that same class to the next teacher! The teacher will have to have their students make the “set level” of gains each year to get his/her salary…it is not a raise. There are so many problems with this bill. The first of which is they have not created the tests yet and we don’t know what the requirements will be to show gains. The state of Florida already spends MILLIONS of dollars on the FCAT and that only impacts students in grades 3-10. Now the district (our tax dollars at work here) we have to create tests to all the other grades and all subjects. This includes music, art, phy. ed, biology, physics, web design, agriculture, band, chorus, video productions, learning strategies, Spanish, French, social studies, Am. Govn’t, shall I go on? Does anyone else see $$$$$$$$$$$$$? Did I mention that after we spend the money to create these tests, then we have to pay to have them graded, then we have to pay to have the data analyzed, then we have to pay someone to figure out which teachers have the highest scores and pay them a set amount, and so on and so on.
But hey, this is GREAT for the state of Florida. Think of all the jobs it will create, unless they outsource it to another state or county. Have you hever heard of Ignite! It is a software company developed by Neil Bush to help students perform well on Standardized tests. It is very big in the states of Texas and Florida…I am not sure why…perhaps because he had bothers that worked in those states. Ignite recently fired 42% of their employees and outsourced the work to Mexico.
I hope ever one will not be up set about their children teacher next year because all the good ones will be gone. How can a teacher teach a child that comes to school 2 days this week 3 the next and 1 the next week? How can a child that is on a third grade level taking a fifth grade level fcat pass it. YOU THINK THIS IS FAIR TO THE TEACHERS ? To the person that thinks this is the best thing for the state of Flordia. No it is the best thing for the other states because all our great teachers are going to be teaching in these states.I agree that bad teachers should go but this should not be based on a childs test scores. Pray for all the teachers next year when a student comes to school to take the FCAT that has been up all night parents are fighting,the teacher that sees a student christmas tree in all their answers after she has worked after school with out pay to help these students, a students that is mad , a student that has lost a parent or grandparent 2 or 3 days before the FCAT. If you do not like what the teachers are doing send them back to Alabama. Some of you making these statements have family coning to Flordia schools that live in Alabama. I have always been in support of these children coming to our schools because they are great kids.
Every time big government gets involved in the process it adds cost, not quality. Every taxpayer will pay more (and the State already has a BIG deficit – so who is going to pay the bill? – rhetorical), and teachers will see the writing on the wall and leave an already difficult job for something easier to do for better money. Our public schools work best under local control and that is under parents, local school boards, and the county citizens for whom the school system works in the public interest – and without unions, another cost-adder and quality decreaser, I might add.
It’s a sad day in Florida to see this bill passed – sad for students, teachers, parents, and our state citizens at large. I hope Gov. Christ has the intestinal fortitude to veto it.
Responding to wish you were in office:
What do you think is going to happen now? Do you really think that this will stop “teaching to the test”? That won’t happen because this bill does nothing to address the fact that “bad” teachers will still be employeed, no matter what. They may not get a raise but as long as they have that contract, they are safe. New teachers on the other hand, will be terrified to do anything else for fear of losing their certification based on circumstances that may be out of their control. Stop blaming all teachers for everything that is wrong with the education system. Yes, there are some bad apples, but throw those out, not the whole crop!
Concerned Parent–In response to your question, “Do you think this will encourage cooperation and sharing of resources among teachers or competition”?
If it were me, I’d say cooperation. I’d say “Hey guys, lets put all the fast learners in one class, draw straws to see who gets to teach it first”. As soon as that teacher gets a raise, hand that class off to the next teacher in line, and so on.
The teachers are not in control of the system, the school district is.
WHY ISN’T MR. THOMAS’s pay indexed to the performance of the district schools?
The entire syystem of education is out of date, designed for an economy and a society of 200 years ago! We must redesign the way teachers are taught to change the way they teach and the outcome of their teaching.
Doing the same thing the same way and expecting a different result is MADNESS. Beating an over-loaded horse will only kill the horse not lighten the load. Where is the wisdom in that?
We need wisdom & character in the state legislature, not showmanship! Vote em ALL OUT!
I dont know about this bill.I think they could’ve come up with better ideas to get kids to perform ,but i can tell you exactly why democrats are against it and its not the same reasons i am.Its because democrats want an under achieved low level education generation to expand their wellfare state of people that are dependent upon them and therefore vote for them…..’We worked hard to keep you poor and uneducated and dependent on us to increase our power instead of working to give you the best America has to offer so you can achieve something for yourselves and break free from our tyrannical grip we have over your life.’
Justsayin~ The state can take away your certification (even though it is paid for) the same way it can take away your Driver’s License or a Doctor’s license to practice medicine. Florida has the ability to revoke many professional licenses and certificates even though they are paid for by the individual. Didn’t you pay $10 or so for your D.L? If you break the law when driving, they take it away. If teachers break the law while teaching, they take it away. If student’s don’t learn enough, their teachers are “breaking” this new law.
Do you know who pays the Florida Department of Education for Teacher Certification? Teachers. They pay from their own pocket. When they recertify, they must send the school district a check to cover the expense of recertification. How is the government can take something that is paid for by an individual?
Old Cherokee~ This is in response to your comment “I keep hearing about the child who is not an honors student, difficult, slow learner, etc. My question is this: Does every class not have such pupils?”
The answer to that question is no. Right now, high school teachers have subject classes. For example Calculus, Honors Biology, Advanced Placement English. These teachers have high performing students who can excel in these subjects. Conversely, there are high school classes filled with “Level Ones” who consistently scored a Level One on the Reading Fcat and the teacher is doing the remediation needed at a slower pace. Who do you think will have a bigger paycheck and a job next year with the passage of this new bill? Also, this bill states that if a teacher does not show gains with his/her students, the teacher’s Florida State Teaching Certificate will be taken away. In the business world, even if you don’t work out at one business, you may find your niche and excel in another office or department. They don’t ban you from all workplaces!
In the elementary classrooms, principals and teachers work to fit students with a teacher who will fit the student’s learning needs AND make sure that children who do not get along are not in the same classroom, etc. Now, in order to level the playing field, the students might be broken up by test scores. For example: Classroom 1 can have 5 A students, 4 B students, 10 C students, 3 D students. Classroom 2 can have 4 A students, 5 B students, etc. Schools will no longer be meeting the needs of students, they will have to make sure that all teachers are starting at the same block and see who races to the finish line the fastest. Do you think this will encourage cooperation and sharing of resources among teachers or competition?
this is really not a good bill because im a senior and the students in my class dont even care whether they pass or not and why should the teachers be punished!!!!
I am concerned about many things in the bill….but the main concern is 12 million dollars it will cost the district with any extra money to do it with….yes you got it…WE tax paying citizens will pay for this. I does not matter if your child goes to private, public, or charter schools. It will not matter if your child is honors, avg, or ESE. Ever teacher will surely teach to the “test” as this is their PAY. I hope and pray the law makers have thought this through and are going to help fund this if they pass it and put measures in that will make sure our kids get a well rounded education and not just teach to the test. Also they are just kidding thier selves if they think some kids will not be left behind due to the fact if a teacher has 100 kids a day and 85 of them score well and pass the test but the other 15 do not the teacher did a pretty darn good job with an 85% success rate…but what about the 15 who did not score well…they just move on, retain them, or just leave them behind…
To ******■delane garrett on April 9th, 2010 11:50 am as a parent I thank you this bill will stop some teachers from thinking they dont have to make sure a child “gets it or not” just teach the material to the end .. Shame on those . I do feel new teachers should be givin a learning period of some sort at the same time in that period the teacher should be evaluated so that no child would suffer from a teacher that doesnt have a clue as to how to be a teacher
I can see some merit on both sides of the argument. I have been in the situation where someone, who knew nothing about my job, had the authority to tell me how to do it. It is a difficult to do your best under these circumstances. I do not think that only people who are directly involved should make the rules (teachers and their unions). That is akin to giving the fox the keys to the henhouse.
In every job I have ever had, I was held accountable for the results. In the private sector, the action taken is swift and definate for one who does not perform up to expectations. The government is a little more lenient, generally speaking, of course.
I keep hearing about the child who is not an honors student, difficult, slow learner, etc. My question is this: Does every class not have such pupils?
If that is the case, it seems the playing field is fairly level. It is the teacher who overcomes adversity and is able to get his/her students to perform, in spite of obstacles, who should get the raise. (above average results)
It is normal for folks to resist change. The outcry in this situation seems a bit over the top to me. I don’t think it is a dark day for Florida, or that it hurts everyone.
I agree with “Good Teacher” on the truancy problem. I was not aware of that.
This is truly a dark day for education. This applies a cookie cutter approach to education. We all know what happens to the dough that is left out of the mold. It gets cut away. We cannot afford to lose any more students.
If the legislators or people who are for this truly want a “common sense approach,” spend a week in a classroom of middle school or high school students that are not advanced. Then you can start to come up with your own ideas. Until then, you best ask the people that do this every day what the solutions are.
#1 – The whole state needs a workable truancy policy. All the lawmakers are afraid to make the parents mad by making them accountable for their child coming to school. It doesn’t matter what the teachers teach if the students can miss up to 30 day (yes in one local county it is 30 days) before they can no longer make up their work. And, when this happens, all the parent gets is a letter. Not a fine, not a ticket, a letter.
Wake up voters!!! Get these people out of office. Ask the teachers what the real issues are that keep students from learning. Start hiring superintendants based on experience instead of electing them so that they can use the office as a springboard (Mr. Gaetz). Maybe then they would really care about education.
I think this the best thing that has happened for the education of our children in the history of public schools. The fact that there are so many home schooled children and kids in private schools has finally got the attention of whoever it is that balances the budget for the school systems. Each child generates x amount of dollars for each school and that amount is dropping because more parents, not less, are paying attention to the fact that Johnny is in the sixth grade and can’t read or add simple equations. Why shouldn’t a teacher be held accountable if a child sits in his or her class room for nine months and didn’t learn just the basics of whatever the criteria was for that year? Because maybe they were watching movies instead of studying from a text book? I could go on and on about this subject and never get to all of it, but I hope I have made one point clear…this is a very good thing for our kids!!!! No one that I know has a job that in some way pay is connected to performance and in this case a teachers performance is whether or not a child in his or her class room learns. We all know each child is different, and they all learn differently ,but if a teachers pay depended on that child learning they would find a way to make sure they got it before payday.
Evers and Murzin are term limited and out of their house seats this year. They are running for state senate against each other.
This bill is the first step in doing what is absolutely necessary if we ever want to see public education in this state be as effective as it was 40+ years ago…..
Create accountability for teachers, end tenure, and neuter the union.
Hurray for our children.
Yes,our fine Republican dominated legislature has really made a mess on this issue. Remember on election day.
I agree with Teacher – vote them out – they do not care for all students in Florida – Evers with was a teacher at one time – don’t know is she is still teacher or not – but he cut her throat for any raise and he will hopefully be out of a job also…….I hope the people of Florida and the USA will wake up and get new people in office in the future…
“Greg Evers, Dave Murzin, and Clay Ford — all voted in favor of the plan:”
What’s good for the goose is good for the gander. All three of them have failed on their perfomance standard, so it’s time to cut their salaries and vote ‘em out.
Now that SB6 has passed the House, it is in Governor Crist’s hands. I watched some of the debate. Lawmakers made quite a spectacle of themselves, especially those in favor of this bill. It was heartbreaking to see the profession that I love take such a nasty turn. Rep. Tom Grady, R.- Naples, stated that it was okay that some teachers, current and future, would leave the state or profession. Rep. MIke Horner, R.Kissimmee, stated that the plan takes takes a fundamental free enterprise approach to education. He said, “If you don’t measure, you don’t care. If you don’t have consequences those measurements are meaningless.” What he doesn’t understand is that education is not a company, ripe for takeover. Most businesses reward their employees for obtaining and maintaining advanced degrees or experience that has been gained from the past. Businesses don’t take away a license when you don’t perform well. They get rid of you, but you can still go and seek employment elsewhere. This bill does none of that. If a teacher fails, according to their standards, they will never teach again. By the way, there is a remediation system in place that is very effective if it is used properly. Education is not a one size fits all profession. Teachers often have to try different areas to find the one that fits them, just like they do in a business. More often that not, when a teacher finds that perfect fit, they excel. There will be no time allowed for that in this bill. It’s basically do or die, right out of the gate. It’s win or lose. I do believe that without consequences for our actions, not profession can be respected. Teachers are not the ones who apply those consequences to their fellow educators. It is the administration and principals. Unions have unprecedented power over us. They refused to see the error of their ways and look where that has gotten us. Now, “bad” teachers will just get to stay where they are. They may not ever get a raise, but they will not lose their jobs. New teachers will be terrified, which will only add chaos to this mess. I have been very fortunate to have a wonderful principal who believes in personal achievement and excellence for all of her employees. She expects the best from us and we are happy to work towards that. She makes no exceptions and does not play favorites. I only wish there were more like her. If there were, we might not be forced to swallow this pill that has been shoved down our throats. Well, I have to leave for work now. Another wonderful day of discovery awaits.
I am a teacher in Florida. This is a deeply disturbing turn of events. Students that test well do so regardless of their teacher. What about those students with disabilities? What about those students that shine in other ways? What about alternative assessments and evaluations? What about teaching the whole child? Governor Crist, if you are reading this, please veto this bill. It hurts EVERYONE! This is truly a dark day for Florida.