Florida teachers fear nothing can stop another SB 6
"There's absolute fear out there," state Rep. Dwight Bullard, D-Miami, told The Gradebook.
Bullard (at left), a high school teacher, said fellow teachers started hitting him with questions about SB 6 as soon as he walked into school Wednesday morning. "Morale is being diminished because it's looming," he said. "No one is stepping to the forefront to calm your fears. It definitely puts an ominous feeling into the school year."
Republican leaders who pushed the bill vowed after the veto to bring back another version in 2011. Opponents pinned their hopes on Democratic gubernatorial candidate Alex Sink, who urged Crist to kill it.
But Sink lost Tuesday to Republican Rick Scott, who indicated during the campaign thathe would have signed SB 6. Meanwhile, Republicans increased their already strong majorities in both the Senate and House. And Sen. John Thrasher, R-St. Augustine - the bill's chief sponsor - coasted to re-election despite being targeted by SB 6 opponents.
In the aftermath, "everybody's riding a wave of emotion," said Joe Vitalo, president of the Hernando County teachers union. "Right now, we're on a surfboard and headed right for the seawall. I'm hoping there's a life guard."
Bullard said he didn't expect that a new version of SB 6 would be substantially different than the original. But he still hoped that the legislative process for considering it would be different - meaning more input from stakeholders, and more changes to address real concerns.
"Hope reigns eternal with me," Bullard said. "As a member of the minority part in a veto-proof House, that's really all you got."
"Obviously, everyone can see the handwriting on the wall," Vitalo said. "The group that supported SB 6 is now in total domination in Tallahassee."
I thought it was rather naive to assume that even though Crist vetoed SB6 it would never come up again. If teachers were smart, they would start crafting their own plans and input asap and get it in pronto instead of waiting to see what the legislators come up with.
the only glimmer of hope we have is the fact that well respected Lakeland State Senator (and Jeb Bush hater) Paula Dockery is part of Scott's transition team and I know is advising him on education issues.
Paula is one of the few good R's in FloriDUH and a voice of moderation.
Hopefully, Scott's not dumb enough to go down that road.
I would suggest GRADEBOOK call her for comment.
if Dockery doesn't workout there's always lawsuits but that would drag out for years.
Rolltide If the legislature overrides Crist's VETO the law goes into effect, whether Scott likes it or not...guess you missed that in Civics 101, might do you some good to pick up a copy of Schoolhouse Rocks!
I've been informed that SB 6 will not be re-introduced as a bill. The apporoach that the Leg will take will be to implement aspects of that bill one or two items at a time. You can anticipate the end of tenure for new teachers, a swift mcve towards merit pay, higher levels of teacher "accountability", further emphasis on charters and private schools, and a rolling out of updated online educational options to name a few.
Scott is an independent thinker and not beholden to all of the establishment Republicans in Tally. He clearly favors education reform and may lean towards privitization, but there is always hope that the pratical issues buffer his ambitions.