Jeb Bush, Florida Chamber partner on robo-call to overhaul teacher salaries
by Michael C. Bender | April 7th, 2010UPDATE: Gov. Charlie Crist reconsidering his support for the controversial bill.
Former Gov. Jeb Bush stepped his efforts today to rewrite the way public school teachers are paid with a recorded phone call urging Floridians to call their local lawmaker. (Thanks to our partners at WOKV for the tip).
In the 55-second message, Bush says the bill will improve education in Florida, but the its the target of “a massive misinformation campaign.”
Bush says the bill will “close the achievement gap once and for all” and tells the listeners to call their lawmaker and tell them to support the bill, which will be discussed on the House floor today and receive a final vote tomorrow.
The proposal has ignited a political food fight between some of the heaviest names in the Florida Capitol: The AFL-CIO & the Florida Education Association on one side (see their television ad here) and Jeb Bush and the Florida Chamber of Commerce on the other (see their ads here and here.).
Tags: Jeb Bush, merit pay, television ads
Where's the money? Use The Post's interactive database of who wants and who's getting federal dollars.
Use these interactive graphics to find and contact Palm Beach County and Treasure Coast legislators.
April 7th, 2010 at 12:33 pm
I guess jeb bu$h didn’t do enough to ruin Florida while he was in office. He’s out of office now and needs to just shut up.
Some investigative reporter should follow up and find out how much his brother’s educational software company is going to make selling “end of course” tests. Their involvement in FCAT was initially reported then conveniently swept under the rug.
April 7th, 2010 at 12:58 pm
Jeb and his entire family needs to stay the hell out of this and every other issue that concerns the citizens of Florida and nation. They are the reason that our state and country are in the mess we are in. The entire family can to to hell as far as I’m concerned!
April 7th, 2010 at 1:45 pm
Poor little Jeb is complaining about a misinformation campaign. I think he is smart enough to recognize a misinformation campaign when he sees it. He certainly took part in enough of them with his fellow Republican/Conservative friends. Their whining is beginning to get on my nerves.
April 7th, 2010 at 2:09 pm
The misinformation will start when you answer the phone for his recorded call!! It is the Bush way. Goes all the way back to when daddy rean the CIA>
April 7th, 2010 at 9:55 pm
The big picture might just be the privitization of public school system…and not in a good way. The No Child Left Behind Act paves the way to privitize public education. More taxpayer dollars for greedy corporations to perform less effective job. PUBIC EDUCATION…NOT CORPORATE EDUCATION.
April 7th, 2010 at 10:02 pm
FOLLOW THE MONEY TRAIL…JEB’S BROTHER MAY NEED MORE MONEY. WHO STANDS TO PROFIT FROM THIS EXPENDITURE TO IMPLEMENT THIS PLAN (AND I USE THAT WORD LOOSELY…AS THERE IS NO REAL PLAN)
THANK GOODNESS JEB’S BROTHER GEORGE DID NOT PRIVATIZE SOCIAL SECURITY OR THAT WOULD HAVE BEEN GONE ALSO. NO PRIVATIZATION OF PUBLIC EDUCATION.
April 7th, 2010 at 11:35 pm
The following bill was introduced by Senator Paula Dockery, why did it not pass? Could anyone be in line for personal gain from SB 6 or HB7189. Please read explanation of SB 632 and contact your senator to find out why it didn’t pass.
Voting Conflicts (did not pass – SB 632)
Prohibits a member of the Legislature from voting upon or participating in any legislation
that would result in the personal gain or loss of the member or his or her relative, business associate, employer, board on which the member sits, principal by whom
the member is retained, or parent corporation or subsidiary of such principal.
April 9th, 2010 at 9:46 am
Jeb you ruin the state of Florida. Please do something good. Go away. You have money, you have the name. Dont hurt anymore the people of florida.
April 9th, 2010 at 12:45 pm
Former govenor of Florida Jeb Bush didn’t do enough to damage the education system in the state of Florida while he was govenor and is making up for it now. His brother has made a mint from making and grading the F-CAT test which has been an abomination since its inception. Jeb and his family have set out to “privatize” education.
Proof of this is the $600 million already transferred from public to private education. New legislation wants to increase this diversion of funding as well. The law states that this is illegal but Florida gets around the law by stating that the state never touches the money. Corporations are given tax credits for funding the private education of many Florida students. Doesn’t this violate the spirit of the law?
Differentiated Accountability is another travesty which Jeb has placed upon us. Its purpose is to drive out the experienced teachers in the state of Florida as well as to thwart the class size amendment. Remember when Jeb was govenor he said that he had a devious plot to thwart it? What arrogance! Jeb assumes that he knows best what Florida education needs. Since he has never taught, how did he become such an expert on eductaion? He is a self-appointed expert that out to destroy our educational system so that his family can profit from the taxpayers more than they already have. His and his family’s desire is to privatize education and to profit from it.
April 10th, 2010 at 11:17 am
What ever became of Jebs failure of a school, the one that was F rated against his own standards, lol?
April 10th, 2010 at 11:25 am
I await a robocall from the same parties admitting the A+ PLan fails to
measure instructional effectiveness and gives a false illusion to the public. I also thought I might hear how the top students are being held down, so as to create an illusion of a closing cahievement gap. Maybe that will be coming soon. Jeb, don’t call my house,
I am too busy trying to get a veto of HB7189 and SB6, but do thank Mr. Thrasher for bringing 115,000 Floridians to their feet to battle this assault on our public schools.
April 10th, 2010 at 8:37 pm
this sounds like plain old propaganda. we are not that dumb Jeb. Plus we know your business, won’t make any money of any test.We know you and your brother would love to privatize public education. This way the rich can keep getting rich and the poor poorer. We believe in the public school system not in THE FOR PROFIT EDUCATION INDUSTRY.
April 12th, 2010 at 11:47 pm
seems like part two of NCLB; part one was designed to destroy the public schools and part two was designed to destroy the teaching profession.
Mission almost accomplished !