Senate Passes Teacher Merit Pay Bill

The Florida Senate passed a controversial bill Thursday that would tie teacher pay to performance and student learning.

Senate Bill 736, sponsored by Sen. Stephen Wise, R-Jacksonville, would base 50 percent of a teacher's evaluation on student test scores, and those evaluations would determine teacher salaries, beginning in 2014.

The bill would also phase out tenure for teachers, as each new teacher hired after July 1 would be offered a one-year contract.

The vote over the bill was largely partisan, with just one Democrat, Sen. Gary Siplin of Orlando, voting for the bill.

Full story to follow.