Governor Crist: Get out your pen and prepare to VETO
"EXTRAORDINARILY STUPID." That's right, this Thursday we are going to witness the Florida House voting on a bill (House Bill 7189/Senate Bill 6) that Diane Ravitch, one of the creators of No Child Left Behind, during President Bush 41, calls "EXTRAORDINARILY STUPID."
House Bill 7189 is the product of legislators who never listened to any critics or allowed any significant changes to either the House or Senate bill.
Let's be real. House Bill 7189 costs us money. This is a giant unfunded mandate. What are these legislators thinking? We face a funding cliff next year. They don't adequately fund public education right now. Florida is 50th in the nation.
Lawmakers told us they were certain Florida would get over $1 Billion in Federal Race to the Top Funds. That was how they would finance these reforms. Florida did not win. We're not getting the money. That loss will be added to the $900 Million this bill deducts from our schools' operating budgets to fund the "Merit Pay." These two figures represent an additional $2 Billion HOLE that we can add to our existing $3.2B HOLE.
Getting the Race to the Top money was based on all players getting along. There isn't enough lipstick for this pig. This whole exercise of piling on expensive "reforms" onto a struggling and demoralized public education system just makes our funding cliff higher. Passing House Bill 7189 may make legislators feel like they won in the short term, but it will be a shallow victory.
At the end of the day, we cannot afford to waste our kids' and teachers' time jumping through hoops that can't be paid for and may not mean anything.
There are 1.2M children in public school in this state. Two weeks ago a ranking senator told us that each child represents 10 voters in their sphere of influence. You do the math. He said, "They (meaning us) can take you out!"
Parents and teachers: we vote. We are part of a huge and growing grass roots movement. We need to start doing some cutting of our own. Our elected officials need to put on their "listening ears" soon, or expect pink slips at the polls come November.
House Bill 7189 is a fiscal nightmare filled with ill-conceived notions masquerading as some sort of "merit for teachers." It's just not sound public policy. What's the point of passing something even members of the House Education Policy Council acknowledge will, "have to be fixed for years, just like FCAT"?
If there were ever a time for Governor Crist to step up, it's now. ACTIONS SPEAK LOUDER THAN WORDS.
Let's be crystal clear. We are parents. There is no greater motivation than the love a parent has for their child.
Call your Representatives today. (Click here to find your Reps.) Tell them to vote no house bill 7189. Tell them we don't need another $2B unfunded mandate.
Call (850-487-0801) and email Governor Crist and tell him keep his pen close and get ready to VETO.
House Bill 7189
Get out your Accountability Yardstick and Start Measuring. What have we gained?
Monday night, the teaching profession in Florida took the fall for a state legislature that has failed to deliver on its paramount duty to the people of Florida as stated in Article IX, section 1 of the Florida Constitution.
House Education Policy Council Chair Will Weatherford (R-61) led his party peers to send House Bill 7189 to the floor for a final floor vote this Thursday, April 7, 2010. For a complete list of Representatives, click here.
See how the House Education Policy Committee members voted on Monday:
YES! Marti Coley (R-7),
YES! Faye Culp (R-57),
YES! Anitere Flores (R-114),
YES! Erik Fresen (R-111),
YES! Adam Hasner (R-87),
YES! Eddy Gonzalez (R-102),
YES! John Legg (R-46),
YES! Seth McKeel (R-63),
YES! Marlene O'Toole (R-42),
YES! Bill Proctor (R-20),
YES! Kelli Stargel (R-64),
YES! Will Weatherford (R-61),
NO! Bill Heller (D-52),
NO! Chuck Chestnut (D-23),
NO! Mia Jones (D-14),
NO! Marty Kiar (D-97),
NO! Maria Sachs (D-86),