The Republican sweep of Florida government in the midterm elections spelled trouble for those seeking to block education reform, but there is a movement in the Sunshine State looking to reconcile all sides in one of the states most controversial subjects.
Republicans have been pushing for education reform for many years, most recently by way of tying teacher pay to performance and making it easier to fire underperforming teachers. They passed such a bill, SB 6, by narrow margins in the House and Senate in the 2010 legislative session, only for Gov. Charlie Crist to veto it after receiving pressure from teachers unions, who fought vehemently against the bill.
Now, with Gov. Crist leaving office after a failed U.S. Senate bid and a veto-proof majority for the GOP in both houses, SB 6 or something like it is poised for a return. But even some who are pushing for greater accountability for teachers are hoping to avoid the partisan fight that marked the debate over the bill.
The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation has issued one of its Empowering Effective Teachers grants to the United Way of Florida, which is hosting six regional talks throughout the state next month. The talks are aimed at gathering input from all stakeholders -- students, teachers, parents, administrators, elected officials and unions.
The goal of the talks is to hear from those actually being affected by education policy and cut out the false claims and highly-charged rhetoric that usually accompanies education debates. Victoria Zepp, who oversees the statewide implementation of the grant, calls it a listening tour.
The No. 1 thing was that people were not connecting, Zepp said.
The idea is to seek a moderate, deliberative tone during the talks, which will be held in January in Tallahassee, Panama City, Gainesville, West Palm Beach, Orlando and Naples. They are being supported by Village Square, a nonprofit organization that promotes civility in public discourse, and has slogans like Purple State of Mind.
However, in a state where the government -- though not the electorate -- looks very red, it is unclear just how much room there is for compromise.
There are fundamental differences of principle here. To me, it is a moral imperative that our best teachers be recognized and rewarded, said Sen. Don Gaetz, R-Niceville.
The Florida Education Association, the states largest teachers union with 140,000 members, has made conciliatory gestures since the elections, but still appears opposed to the basic tenets of reformers -- finding incentives for effective teachers while making it easier to get rid of poor ones.
FEA President Andy Ford sent a letter to Gov.-elect Rick Scott congratulating him on his victory after the election, but also noted that a ballot measure to increase class sizes failed.
Still, Zepp says the FEA is willing to work with some of the reformers involved in the regional talks.
The FEA is at the table now. They are getting into the detail areas. Theyre engaged with the way tenure is looked at, Zepp said.
Republican legislators, however, wont be too thrilled about the prospect of working with the unions.
Elections matter. The teachers' union declared war on every legislator who voted on SB 6. The union made it a huge issue of the campaign, said Gaetz, one of the co-sponsors of SB 6.
If the various parties on the ground level appear to be moving together toward a common goal, the parties at the legislative level are headed in opposite directions.
As Republicans move toward greater accountability for teachers, Democrats are looking to get rid of the FCAT standardized test by which teachers and schools are currently judged. Two bills toward that end have been filed in the House and the Senate, but arent likely to pass through the committee process.
I dont think its serious. I dont like its chances, Gaetz said of the Senate version of the bill.
As much as Republican legislators are pushing education reform, Gov.-elect Scott could be at the head of the class. His education transition team includes Michelle Rhee, the controversial former chancellor of Washington, D.C., schools, and Patricia Levesque, executive director for the Foundation for Floridas Future, former Gov. Jeb Bushs organization. They released their recommendations to Scott earlier this week, which include universal vouchers that can be used for private schools; eliminating tenure for new teacher hires; and paying teachers more for higher performance. These are ideas that will likely spark vocal opposition from teachers unions.
Whatever form education legislation takes, lawmakers will be drafting it with an eye toward Floridas looming $3.5 billion deficit. But Zepp says that presents an opportunity for education reform, rather than a crisis.
Were in the fourth year of deficits, people have had to work together. What was absolutely amazing was the sense of urgency, Zepp said.
In February the UWOF will present Scott with the findings of the regional talks in the form of an advocacy paper.
Reach Gray Rohrer at grohrer@sunshinestatenews.com or at (850) 727-0859.
