In the wee hours of Friday morning, long after most of us were asleep, Florida's lawmakers made dramatic changes to their state's education system. They took reform to a new level.
The most significant piece of legislation eliminates tenure protection for teachers. Newly hired teachers would work on an annual contract that can be renewed each year. The bill also does away with lockstep annual raises. Teachers' pay no longer would be bumped based simply on how long they've worked, and how many graduate degrees they've obtained. Instead, their pay would depend on the achievement of their students. The more improvement their students make in the classroom, the more money teachers take home. Already tenured teachers keep their job protection.
The legislature's move has teachers unions up in arms. Andy Ford, the president of the Florida Education Association, told Education Week that his group would work to shake up the make-up of the legislature. "We're looking toward the November elections, where we'd repeal and reform the legislation, if we can change some seats in the Senate and the House," Ford said.
Despite enormous pressure, legislators have sent a message that they're committed to breathtaking reform. Their boldness is refreshing, a template we hope Illinois emulates.
Florida finished fourth in the first round of Race to the Top, the Obama administration's challenge grant intended to spur reform. That's one spot ahead of Illinois. In its Race to the Top application, Florida said participating school systems would base layoffs more on teacher effectiveness than on seniority.
Now lawmakers there have pushed through wholesale changes in the way teachers are evaluated and rewarded for their work.
Gov. Charlie Crist, who initially indicated he would sign the bill, is waffling. Crist, who is running in a Republican primary for the U.S. Senate against Florida House Speaker Marco Rubio, told reporters on Friday that he hasn't decided if he will sign the legislation. Top lawmakers could wind up negotiating some changes with the governor.
But how refreshing it is to see a legislature act with such conviction to shake up the status quo!
Illinois is making some progress, but change here is still coming in fits and starts. There's plenty of work to be done to improve the environment for charter schools, to overhaul teacher tenure, to assure the success of turnaround schools, to see that good teachers are led by excellent principals.
Florida, bravo! You're forcing real change. Let's hope people in Illinois learn something.
Copyright 2010, Chicago Tribune
