Rick Scott, teachers have nothing to say

From WTSP.com

by Isabel Mascarenas

Tampa, Florida - Florida's Teacher of the Year last year, Megan Allen, is on board with some of Governor Rick Scott's ideas for education. Allen is back teaching at Cleveland Elementary in Tampa. She says, "I like his emphasis on quality teachers"

Allen doesn't like the way Scott and state leaders are trying to accomplish things through Senate Bill 736. The bill eliminates teacher tenure for new teachers hired after July 1, and ties teacher merit pay and 50% of their evaluation to student test scores.

"I think a lot of this conversation is being wasted, and needs to talk about what teachers are doing right, and what we can learn from them to get better, and a lot of this policy not doing that," says Allen. She adds, "We need to listen to our teachers who have the background and experience in the classroom instead of listening to these education reformers who don't have the experience or the classroom knowledge."

Allen says the problem is Scott is not listening to Florida teachers. Allen says she and a group of teachers have tried contacting Scott. "I have on several occasions but I've had very little luck so far. I'm still hoping."

Scott's message in his State of the State Address calls for more school vouchers, charter schools and leaner school budgets by as much as 10 percent. Scott's budget plan would cost Hillsborough an estimated 106 million dollars in budget cuts.

"We have a governor who seems to think Tallahassee knows best," says Jean Clements, Hillsborough Classroom Teacher's Association President. Clements says Senate Bill 736 on teacher accountability will not work because it's untested and underfunded. "It's a top down bureaucratic nightmare bundle of regulations that will be very difficult for local districts to follow with any great fidelity," says Clements.

Scott, says Clements, should look at Hillsborough's teacher evaluation system funded through a $100 million grant from the Gates Foundation. Hillsborough's plan breaks down a teacher's evaluation into three categories; 30% from a principal's review, 30% from peer evaluations and 40% is based on student performance.

Clements say Hillsborough has been testing different methods looking for the right assessments and bringing in experts in the field to help develop the right formula. It is information the union and teachers want to share with Scott except Clements says Governor Scott has yet to accept their invitation to talk.

"We're teachers, we're used to working with difficult children that don't get the lesson the first. We are patient," says Clements. "She adds, "We will never give up trying to have a conversation with this governor. I appreciate what he is trying to do. We can help him do it in a smarter more successful way if he would just have the conversation with us."

Allen sends Governor Scott this invitation, "Governor Scott, I have teachers I work with that have looked at the research and talked about works in the classrooms. I would love to have conversation with you."

The Florida Senate will vote Thursday on Senate Bill 736 regarding teacher tenure and merit pay. The bill is a milder version of the one passed by legislators last year and vetoed by former Governor Charlie Crist. Gov. Scott has said if past he will sign it.

The bill would limit new teachers to annual new teachers to annual contracts and allow principals to fire them at will. The Senate rejected an amendment Wednesday to give highly ranked teachers a 3 year contract after several years in the classroom. Opponents say that would be another form of tenure.

http://www.wtsp.com/news/local/story.aspx?storyid=179984&catid=8