[UPDATE: Melissa Sellers, Gov. Rick Scotts Communications Director, returned comment hours after this article went to press. Declining to deny the accuracy of SSN's sources, she said, We certainly believe in the role parents play in the process of advocating for and improving the education of children. However, we had some concerns with the bill the Senate considered today.]
Florida Gov. Rick Scott was the mastermind behind Tuesday's slaughter of Parent Empowerment legislation in the state Senate, according to highly placed sources who disclosed the behind-the-scenes machinations on deep background.
The bill failed on a 20-20 vote, the same margin that killed a similar bill during the 2012 session.
Governor's office staff communicated with specific [legislators], sharing that the governor did not want this bill to reach his desk, one of the sources has told Sunshine State News.
The governor's staff apparently "was working the halls" -- even visiting offices -- looking for senators who would agree to vote "no" on SB 862.
It's a calculus going into an election year: [Scott] doesn't want to sign the bill and destroy some of the inroads he's trying to make with the PTA , the unions, and other status quo groups, the source continued. Yet, he did not want to veto the bill and further anger conservatives, education reformers, business groups, and parents who supported this bill.
A senior official within Florida government confirmed to SSN he heard Scotts staff express [the governor's] desire for the bill not to reach his desk.
Scott's legislative agenda for 2012 included a proposal to give parents at low-performing public schools the option of converting their schools into charters. He has always supported school choice.
Perhaps Scott's back-door exit on Parent Empowerment should not be surprising. The governor may have remembered Senate Bill 6, the controversial teacher merit-pay law that passed in 2010 and was vetoed by Gov. Charlie Crist as he headed into a contentious U.S. Senate race. Crist wanted the teachers on his side, so he killed merit pay.
Scott's office did not return comment before this story went to press.
The bill, SB 862, died in the Senate after receiving a 20-20 tie vote, with four Republicans who supported the bill last year joining Democrats this year in opposition.
Their changes-of-mind remained inexplicable not only to observers, but, seemingly, to the defecting senators themselves. Here's what three of the four told SSN on their break, just before heading back to the Senate floor:
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Sen. Jack Latvala, R-Clearwater
Why did you vote the way you did on parent empowerment?
Because that's what I thought was best to do.
Didn't you support parent empowerment last year?
Yes, but this bill is a little different.
In what respect?
The case that Sen. [Nancy] Detert made for the failures of charter schools and the difficult time that you have of undoing these counter-relationships was a compelling case, and that's what I supported. That's really all I'm going to say.
What would have to change for you to re-support parent empowerment?
I don't know. We'll just have to wait and see.
Sen. Greg Evers, R-Pensacola
Why did you vote the way you did on parent empowerment?
I just voted the way my constituents wanted me to.
Didn't you support this bill last year?
Yes, I did.
What was different this time around?
Just the turn of the tide.
In terms of your constituents and what they wanted?
Yes.
Is there anything that could happen differently that could make you support it?
I can't answer that right now, because I dont know how I'll feel at that time.
Sen. Rene Garcia, R-Hialeah
Why did you vote the way you did on parent empowerment?
I stand behind Nancy Detert on the issue; parents haven't called me to talk to me about the bill or the importance of the bill. If we have a problem with our schools, I think what we need to do is put more money into education and make sure we put the resources behind these failing schools, to get them up to standard. I don't like to try to politicize the education of our children.
Haven't you supported parent empowerment in previous sessions?
Yes, I did.
Why didn't you support it this time?
It's a different session, a different year.
Is there any change that could be made to this legislation that would cause you to re-support it?
Not at this point; not right now.
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The fourth defecting member was Sen. Miguel Diaz de la Portilla, R-Miami.
SB 862 would have empowered parents of children who attend failing schools to petition their school board to choose one of several turnaround options, including converting it into a charter school.
The bill was not a true parent trigger, as the petition would have no binding effect on government officials. The Senate version gave final say-so to the local school board, while the House version, HB 867, would have given that responsibility to the State Board of Education.
The bill was not one that Senate President Don Gaetz, R-Niceville, identified as a personal top priority.
Reach Eric Giunta at egiunta@sunshinestatenews.com or at (954) 235-9116. Nancy Smith, nsmith@sunshinestatenews.com, contributed to this story.
