Senate Bill 6, written by Sen. John Thrasher, R-St.Augustine, has passed the Legislature and is awaiting action by Gov. Charlie Crist.
Senate Bill 6 contains revisions in three main areas, all of which have a major impact on public education in Florida: 1) Evaluation of teachers and school-based administrators based on student test scores 2) Compensation for these same employees based on student test performance, and 3) End-of-course exams for all courses not tested by FCAT.
I believe there is room for discussion of performance pay for teachers but strictly as an enhancement, not as a salary benchmark. There are too many variables that impact student performance. Any system in which the major portion of a teacher's salary is based on student test scores would be problematic. Some of the best teaching I have ever seen was in "F" rated schools and some of the poorest in "A" rated ones.
The bill would also eliminate the credit teachers currently receive for experience and training. I believe these achievements should be rewarded instead of discouraged.
There has been some confusion about the financing of performance pay in the bill. The Legislature has not appropriated any new funds for this mandate. Rather, districts would be required to set aside 5 percent of their total funds to be redistributed as performance incentives. This redistribution, which would amount to about $10 million in St. Johns County, could only be accomplished by realigning the salary schedule and reducing the base pay of teachers.
I am in favor of keeping tenure but we must simplify the current process for removing poor teachers. I am very concerned that eliminating tenure, one of the few securities teachers have, would make it difficult for Florida to recruit and retain high- quality teachers.
Another part of the bill that deeply concerns me is the possibility that the district will be required to develop end-of-course exams for all non-FCAT courses. The task of creating hundreds of valid and reliable exams is enormous, and we simply do not have the resources.
I also take issue with the idea that our public schools are broken and that teachers are not doing their jobs. This simply is not true, and one proof is in the high-quality instructors we have in our school district. I have repeatedly said that this is the best instruction I have seen in my 33 years in public education.
Our system of continuous quality improvement in St. Johns County has produced gains every year. Additionally, data over the past several years indicates that the state is making dramatic gains. No one has said that there isn't room for improvement but perhaps the status quo isn't so bad after all.
Finally, the erosion of local control is very distressing. We have a high-performing and committed School Board who has lost much of their authority. Parents and local voters are best able to assess their performance, and that is where their decisions have the most direct impact. This bill's "one-size-fits-all" approach would do a disservice to St. Johns County and to many other counties throughout the state.
You can be assured that I will always fight for and support our outstanding teachers, administrators and support staff. It is because of their hard work and the support of our parents that we have experienced such success. We cannot stand by and allow their hard work to be dismantled.
Because this legislation has such far-reaching impact, I encourage you to let your voices be heard.
I propose the Governor veto this bill and establish a commission requiring all of the affected parties -- parents, teachers, school board members, superintendents and legislators -- to sit down and develop a well thought out and workable plan.
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Joseph Joyner has been St. Johns County's superintendent of schools since July 2003. He was named Florida Superintendent of the Year in 2008 and served as president of the Florida Association of District School Superintendents in 2007.
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