Rick Scott says one thing does another

From NaplesNews.com

By HEATHER CARNEY, KRISTINE GILL

Gov. Rick Scott said he agrees with more educational flexibility and local control Wednesday morning at a News-Press Education Summit at the Hyatt Regency in Bonita Springs.

But local superintendents, teachers, county commissioners and community members think that his state mandates – such as Senate Bill 736 – enforce the exact opposite.

“Decisions ought to be made at a local level when possible,” said Scott in response to the statewide merit pay and teacher evaluation plan.

But he said that often decisions are not made on the local level. He said when no action is taken, state legislators must impose mandates, like merit pay, the loss of teacher tenure and more teacher accountability.

Scott also said students must leave high school and college better educated to be prepared in science, technology and math-related jobs.

“Our standards are not high enough,” he said.

The governor said the state has dramatically increased the amount of money spent on education but that the state has “gotten further and further behind.”

The education summit will continue with an educational leadership panel including Collier County Superintendent Kamela Patton, Lee County Superintendent Joseph Burke, Florida Gulf Coast University President Wilson Bradshaw and Edison State College President Kenneth Walker.

The governor also talked about job creation, saying the key to employment after college starts with choosing the right major.

"I went to school to get a job," he said, after an anecdote about his daughters whose friends had trouble finding careers after college in anthropology and journalism, among other fields.

"Maybe they got the wrong degrees. I'm not sure we told them there wouldn't be jobs in those majors," he said.

STEM majors, those focusing in science, technology, engineering and math, are touted as in demand, but few students choose to pursue those disciplines.

"We've been talking about this for 10 years, and less than 20 percent of our four-year graduates are getting STEM degrees," Scott said.

The governor also reprimanded higher education institutions for increasing tuition year after year.

"In most industries, tough times don't mean raising prices," he said. "We just can't keep raising prices constantly and expect our kids to be able to afford it."

http://www.naplesnews.com/news/2011/oct/05/gov-rick-scott-agrees-more-educational-flexibility/