From WTXL in Tallahassee:
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WTXL)–Florida teachers pockets may be getting a little fatter by 2015.
Hoping to put that in the lawbooks..this upcoming legislative session.
Senator Joseph Abruzzo, (D) 25, Palm Beach, Florida proposed a constitutional amendment that would require teacher’s salaries to meet national salary levels.
Abruzzo’s amendment says the state will foot the bill for those higher salaries.
Currently Florida teacher’s average salary is more than $40,000, not quite the average but close.
According to the National Center for Education Statistics from 2011-2012 is more than $56,000.
The Big Bend’s top 3 highest paid counties are Suwannee county, Franklin county, and Jeffereson county.
A couple years ago lawmakers passed a bill which requires teachers to be paid based on performance, but there’s no word yet just how this would effect teacher’s pay “if” the amendment is passed.
Meanwhile, Florida Department of Education says it’s up to school districts to negotiate salaries with local teaching unions.
There’s not a chance this gets through the Senate, but it will useful to hear republicans tell us why. Especially not with group think like that of Rep. Matt Gaetz who feel that tenure is an “immoral concept.” Just two legislative sessions away from ending state pension contributions on behalf of teachers who are already at the bottom of the pay scale, this crowd isn’t looking to do anything which would actually benefit teachers. Expect “merit pay” mutterings and “reward good teachers” this and thats.
What is, what Bill is most likely to fail? And, who is my favorite lawmaker ever!
Florida may rank 6th in the US with a grade of B-, however our state’s finance of public schools was rated a D+, 39th in the nation. Of course this won’t pass…
Florida ranks well down the list as far as SAT/ACT test scores, high school graduation rates and AP passing rates. Education Weekly is pseudo science. NAEP is only administered to less than one percent of all elementary school kids and district’s cherry pick the best. Believe me, FloriDUH’s rank is about as deserving as Notre Dame’s BCS national championship invite.
One of the reasons Florida schools rank so low in AP passing rates (actually Miami Dade ranks one of the highest for hispanic passing rates) is that Florida has some special deal with the College Board and students don’t have to pay to take the test. Want high pass rates like Maryland on AP exams? Make the students pay $100 for the exam. They won’t sleep through a test that they had to pay $100 to take.