Florida didn't make it in phase one of the Race to the Top program and now organizations with a stake in the issue are playing the blame game.
The Florida Education Association says the Department of Education shut them out of the process.
"State DOE ignored the counsel of all the unions who were trying to help," said Mark Pudlow, an FEA spokesperson.
FEA claims the main reason Florida wasn't awarded a spot in the first phase was because of a lack of collaboration. But, the DOE says the unions were given plenty of opportunity, and they were invited to be a part of the process all along.
Leaders from the Senate majority office and the Florida Chamber of Commerce backed the DOE up, each releasing statements saying it was the FEA that dashed Florida's chances by refusing to cooperate with widely supported reform measures in the House and Senate.
"Today's announcement [that Florida was not selected] also serves as a warning about an entity that continues to block quality teachers from receiving the pay that they deserve: the Florida Education Association," said Republican Party of Florida Chairman John Thrasher. "The FEA has rejected Florida's participation in Race to the Top and is focused on protecting the unions interests and not the interests of hard-working teachers, students and Floridians."
Pudlow says the FEA has tried to collaborate by suggesting a pilot system to test out new ideas before widespread implementation -- an idea he says was rejected. But, on more widely known issues, they've been strong opponents. SB 6 and SB 2126 bolster the tax-credit scholarship program and implement a performance-based compensation program for teachers, respectively. FEA has been battling these two widely supported pieces of legislation at every step of the way.
The president and CEO of the chamber, Mark Wilson, also released a statement about the FEA's role in Florida losing the bid.
"Unfortunately, the teachers union in Florida has proven time and again that they are not interested in transforming the way we educate our students so our graduates can be better prepared for the 21st century workforce," said Wilson.
Race to the Top money is still on the table. Florida can apply to get some of the $3.4 billion still available in the Fall.
