Dockery Opposes Thrasher Merit Pay Bill

While most conservatives have gone along with Sen. John Thrasher's proposal for teacher merit pay, there has been one prominent exception. Gubernatorial candidate Sen. Paula Dockery, R-Lakeland, and three other Republicans broke ranks to oppose the measure. The Jacksonville Republican's bill passed 21-17.

Most Florida teachers do a great job in the classroom and deserve our respect and support as they raise the bar on student performance, Dockery said.

Dockery framed her opposition to the bill in conservative terms, stressing that families have the ultimate responsibility in raising children.

How can we expect teachers to be responsible if their students skip school or arrive ill-prepared, having not done their homework, having not had breakfast, having not had any at-home encouragement from their parents? she asked. The idea that teachers are solely responsible for a childs performance goes against everything we know about what makes children successful.