By Lynn Hatter
http://stream.publicbroadcasting.net/production/mp3/wfsu/local-wfsu-958034.mp3
Tallahassee, FL – The Florida legislature has paved the way for a bill tying student test scores to teacher pay to head to the Governor's Desk. A final vote on the bill came in the House of Representatives after two days and more than 10 hours of debate. As Lynn Hatter reports it cleared on a party line vote.
"The question now recurs on final passage on CS for CS for SB 736. The clerk will unlock the machines and members will proceed to vote. Have all members voted? Have all members voted? The clerk will lock the machine and announce the vote. 80yeas, 29 nays Mr. Speaker. Show the bill passes."
The Florida House passed the bill on an 80-39 vote, with Democrats unanimously opposed. It comes after a year of conversations between lawmakers, education advocates, teachers and others. The proposal ties half a teacher's evaluation to student learning gains, and those evaluations will be used to determine how much a teacher gets paid. Minority Leader Franklin Sands of Broward described the bill as deceptive.
"There was a joke in the 19th century when one boss was asking the other about how he motivated his employees, to which the boss replied, "if the employee does his job really well, we'll let him keep it. This bill doesn't even do that."
In the meantime Republicans are celebrating the proposal, which also eliminates tenure for new teachers hired after July 2011. Last year a similar measure squeeked by in the House and Senate only to be met with a veto by former Governor Charlie Crist. But Wednesday, a visibly happy House Speaker Dean Cannon, didn't hesitate to take a swipe at the ex-Governor.
"It is a refreshing change, Governor Scott, to have a governor celebrating the passage of this bill instead of vetoing it. So thank you very much Governor Scott."
Supporters of the bill have found a friend in new governor Rick Scott, who says he'll sign it as soon as it gets to his desk.
"This bill is going to help us because it's going to make sure we have absolutely the best workforce in the country. We will be the winners. And that's what's going to happen."
The bill comes after the state received a 700-million dollar grant from the federal government to improve the quality of teachers in public schools. That's been a focal point of President Barack Obama's education agenda, and is something that's gaining traction in other states.