Jeb Bush group launches pro-merit pay television ad
by Michael C. Bender | April 5th, 2010The spot, released today, is from Foundation for Florida’s Future, the education group former Gov. Jeb Bush formed after leaving office. The ad is at least partly in response to this commercial, which hammers Senate President Jeff Atwater, R-North Palm Beach, for pushing the measure.
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 5th, 2010 at 8:18 pm
Typical “Bush” commercial. Let’s only tell the public about the good parts and not say anything about what is wrong with this bill. Then again his brother left office still thinking the country was doing just fine.
Know what you are saying yes to then you will determine the correct answer is “NO”. The parents, teachers, administrators, etc. saw what happened when they tried this type of teaching this year- Test scores went down, student and teacher morale was at an all time low, some teachers quit, etc. Is this what you really want for our children and those that have dedicated their lives to teaching them? Call your local representative and tell them “NO” to SB 6 and HB 7189. You can go to http://www.myfloridahouse.gov/default.aspx to find your local representative.
April 6th, 2010 at 6:58 am
Get rid of the unions and you will have a better school system where the money is actually spent on the student and not a political action fund.
April 6th, 2010 at 7:03 am
While I believe much can be done to improve the quality of education in Florida, I do not believe the legislature is heading down the right path to achieve it. Had the legislature been truly interested in public education, it wouldn’t have pulled over $800 million out of the education budget two years ago in now you see it now you don’t slight of hand switch where it put $800 million of federal money into education and then pulled out $800 million in state money — a no increase in education funds. And the legislature wouldn’t have allowed Gov. Christ to send $60 million to his friends in North Florida for real estate projects rather than making sure the money remained to take care of state problems. And it wouldn’t have consistently stripped money out of the lottery ticket funds — a gimmick that was supposed to help fill the education funding gap.
What the legislature is doing is a further attempt to end any chance of obtaining quality education in Florida — a state that ranks if so near the bottom that its degrees are little more than paper. Most corporations and companies are now looking for people who can think — Florida’s current education system is designed to make the state look good on paper by watering down standards rather than putting more into educating our children.
I work in the Palm Beach County school system as a full-time volunteer. I have seen how hard teachers work and the amount of money they take out of their own pockets to help buy the things they believe will help them make a difference in the classroom. I see teachers working late into the afternoon and start hours before school begins so that they can provide their students the best they can possibly do. But I don’t see the legislature doing much to help their effort. Instead, I see the state doing all that it can to discourage good teachers from coming here and good teachers here from leaving.
While this right to work state believes sunshine ins a great perk, it doesn’t pay for groceries, rent, medical bills or the education of teachers own children.
No sir, the legislature is on the wrong track. I just hope the plan gets de-railed before the education railroad runs out of track.
April 6th, 2010 at 7:46 am
Jeb is doing for FL what his dimwitted brother did for America.
The only issues Jeb gets involved with are ones that will make him money. It’s all about Jeb. All the Bush brothers are fine examples of elitist entitlement.
April 6th, 2010 at 8:27 am
Stop making this about “Bush” and realize that President Obama has declared this an important step to making our education system better. It saddens me to read the fear coming from teachers, fed by the UNIONS. And it saddens me to think there are citizens who actually believe Jeb Bush is pushing for higher results in our system so he can enrich himself. Poppycock, is the kindest word that comes to mind.
You have a liberal Democrat, Barrack Obama, and a conservative Republican, Jeb Bush, both saying the same thing. Get a clue, Floridians: they must be on to something.
Accountability has got to be a part of the solution. And you do not get accountability without objective measures. Hello? I am guessing that is why teachers tested me and you when we were in school. Had to measure something, right? While this solution may not be perfect, it is a good start. Teachers who excel will be rewarded. Those who do not, well, they won’t. What has happened to our country that those sound principles are not embraced? When did we turn from a country and a people who did not strive for greatness, but instead accepted mediocrity?
Everyone, that means teachers, parents and students, needs to strap on some big heavy boots and turn this ship around. The Legislature is tasked with solving problems. That is what they are trying to do, even in the face of angry teachers. Status quo is unacceptable. Our economy will continue to flounder if we do not begin to ensure all of our kids are soaring. We will be relegated to the bottom of the heap if we do not fix this problem and in a hurry.
April 6th, 2010 at 9:16 am
When Bush became gov. FL was a dismal 26 out of 50 in overall educaton…after Bush it became even worse….44 out of 50, lower than MISSISSIPPI!!
April 6th, 2010 at 3:44 pm
As a teacher, I am NOT fearful of performance based incentives. I see many teachers doing great jobs and that hard work is proven year after year by greater student learning gains. There is a mentality of “protecting” mediocre in our profession. Frankly, I’m tired of getting paid the same as someone who watches the clock all day, all year waiting for the end of the day, for the end of year with little effort or initiative to work hard to reach the needs of each child. Those who can…teach….those can…teach better! I’m confident in my abilities and I’m not afraid of accountability and welcome the opportunity to get paid more to do more. We’re acting as if it’s a bad thing to stop rewarding laziness and mediocrity. Kind of like my teenager who nevers cleans his room but still expects his allowance…on principle.
April 6th, 2010 at 4:14 pm
How about a welfare and food stamps for merit program. Education starts at home and if the professional welfare recipients don’t want to take responsibility for their children then they lose benefits. I guess I’m just racist for even thinking that would be an option.
April 6th, 2010 at 11:39 pm
I agree that I am not scared of being fired because I know what kind of teacher I am. I am socially minded as well and am a parent. SO I know what kind of education I want for my child ….and the way education has been moving toward scripted, tested crazed, robotic direct teaching is WHAT SCARES ME. I am scared I will lose my drive and get burnt out. Not because I don’t want to do everything humanly possible for my children— but because one day I won’t be allowed to.
However, this new push in education is more likely to attract the teachers who “dish out the worksheets and scream at their children to do them” than teachers who internalize their children’s success like us.
What kind of professional wants to spend every working hour doing what research says is best for children and best practices only to be second guessed and overridden, asked to do things that aren’t developmentally appropriate? (Can anyone say play in Kindergarten anymore.)
I am not in disagreement about “lazy” teachers. I know there are many just like in any and every profession. I have done a lot of traveling and have worked in Ohio, Kentucky, Georgia, and now FL. I see teachers who infuriate me, who aren’t in it for the right reason. But at every school that I was in there were always no more than 5 of these such teachers, which considering the number is probably the same in most professions. Plus there are already laws in place, to get rid of these teachers if the administrations do their job to do so.
Besides I don’t think tenure really exists anymore anyway; I don’t think it’s unreasonable after working for 3 years and proving yourself to be given at least a 3 year job security. The laws are already reasonable.
I just remember a time when teachers were respected for their duty and service. I had great ones in elementary school. More great in my mind now that I look back and what they did for me than I knew then, because I was an egocentric child with a bad home life.
I would LIKE to see teachers rewarded too. However, I just don’t think test scores should be the measure of that reward. All our children are unique individuals who learn at different rates, in different ways.
The politicians answer remains status quo to stuff facts and figures in them and then have them regurgitate it back on some high stakes test every year of their life. Or worse yet, give them a test that doesn’t even correlate with the curriculum the teacher is suppose to teach (Can anyone say Math SAT10?) Then teacher bash when the children don’t perform on the tests despite the efforts of the teacher.
I don’t think that will prove a good system to measure teacher quality. It won’t produce the teachers that do hands-on meaningful activities and differentiate instruction either.
That’s why I don’t support Senate bill 6 or what both Republicans and Democrats are trying to do for education.