Florida Republican leaders firing more shots at teacher tenure are getting some front-line ammunition from a St. Lucie County mother whose son was "voted out" of his kindergarten class.
Melissa Barton, appearing on "Fox & Friends" Thursday morning, said she wants tenure eliminated. "I want it done this year, and I'll do whatever it takes," she said.
Barton sued the St. Lucie County School District after her autistic 5-year-old son was voted out of his kindergarten class by his classmates in 2008. She obtained a $350,000 settlement from the district this month.
Wendy Portillo, Alex's teacher, was initially suspended for conducting the "Survivor"-type vote, but has since reclaimed her job and her tenure, though she was transferred to another school in the district. Her legal bills were paid by the teachers' union.
Now that Mrs. Barton's outspoken attacks against Portillo have morphed into a broader assault on teacher tenure, like-minded Republican lawmakers may find she is a mixed blessing as an ally.
The Bartons story, which gained national headlines, has polarized public opinion. Early support and sympathy for Alex eroded as critics came to see his mother as a money-grubbing publicity hound who failed to take responsibility as the parent of a special-needs child.
Mrs. Barton calls the school district's handling of her son's case "unacceptable." And district officials admitted that Portillo had not been properly trained to deal with children like Alex.
At her new school, Portillo this year became embroiled in another classroom-management controversy when the parents of a hearing-impaired pupil complained that she and two other teachers refused to use a microphone.
Mrs. Barton believes that teacher tenure, which can be granted after as little as two years on the job, is the root of the problem.
"Who's in charge, the superintendent or the union?" she asks.
In opposing tenure for K-12 instructors, Senate President Mike Haridopolos says he would prefer two- or three-year contracts, along with a more rigorous performance-based compensation program that would reward the best teachers.
The GOP-controlled Senate and House plan to revive portions of Senate Bill 6, Sen. John Thrasher's education reform measure that would have ended tenure. Vetoed by Gov. Charlie Crist, the bill was supported by incoming Gov. Rick Scott.
For her part, Mrs. Barton vows to turn her attention from the courts to the Legislature in 2011. Arguing that tenure is no guarantee of competence, let alone excellence, she maintains that Portillo "never should have been in the classroom."
"This (abolition of tenure) cannot wait five years," she said. "(Lawmakers) are all going to hear from me."
As for Alex and his siblings, Mrs. Barton has enrolled them at private schools.
"There are great public school teachers out there, obviously, and they deserve all of our support for doing a tough, important job. But in public education, there's just no way to easily get rid of the bad ones," she says.
"Parents, not unions, need to run our public schools. When you send a child to a public school in our state, you're sending them into oblivion."
--
Contact Kenric Ward at kward@sunshinestatenews.com or (772) 801-5341.
