March 17, 2010. Florida Senate bill to measure “teacher performance” and eliminate job security receives wide coverage and commentary, Emblematic of national campaign against public school teachers
Thrasher bill: Merit pay plan is unrealistic
Florida Times-Union – 3 hours ago
The talk of tenure in the article is inane. The term “tenure” may apply to professors at colleges and universities, but it does not apply to teachers in the …
Mark Wilson: Teacher performance pay makes good sense
The News-Press – March 16, 2010
This bill calls for changes to Florida’s outdated teacher tenure system and for teacher evaluation methodologies based primarily on student achievement …
Performance is hard to measure
Tampabay.com – March 16, 2010
John Thrasher’s premise that the tenure system has allowed some teachers to keep their jobs despite their inability to teach. …
Florida bill ties teachers’ wages to student performance instead of tenure
MiamiHerald.com – Shannon Colavecchio, Hannah Sampson – Mar 15, 2010
The plan would eliminate “professional services” contracts — what some people informally call tenure — and tie half of teachers’ pay to student performance …
Area school leaders share mixed reviews about proposed Senate bills
Naples Daily News – Katherine Albers, Leslie Williams – Mar 14, 2010
In addition, protections for teachers often called tenure would be replaced by a continuing series of annual contracts. Sen. Garrett Richter, R-Naples, …
John Thrasher: Florida teachers must demand better results
Florida Times-Union – Mar 11, 2010
Instead of accepting the status quo, I believe Florida’s schools can and must do better. Last year, 99.7 percent of teachers in the state earned a …
Bill would tie teacher pay to performance, student test scores
Sun-Sentinel – Josh Hafenbrack, Kathy Bushouse – Mar 10, 2010
Florida’s Republican-led Legislature is advancing a proposal to do just that, and gut seniority-based teacher tenure that’s been around for decades. …
Teacher accountablity measure passes first hurdle
Florida Times-Union – Brandon Larrabee – Mar 10, 2010
It would also dismantle teacher tenure in the three counties, including Duval, where it exists as well as other employment protections in other parts of the …
Removing Chronically Ineffective Teachers
Center For American Progress – Robin Chait – Mar 10, 2010
State laws should allow only one appeal for tenured teachers who are dismissed based on poor performance. It is extremely costly for districts to have to …
Legislative battle over school reform begins tomorrow
Examiner.com – Mar 9, 2010
It also does away with tenure. Florida, which has seen public school improvements over the past 10 years, was one of the 16 finalists in Phase 1 of Race to …
Fla. bill requires teacher merit pay or funding cuts
Bradenton Herald – Bill Kaczor – Mar 8, 2010
The head of Florida’s statewide teachers union says it’s more like a “nuclear weapon.” It’s a provision in a wide-ranging teacher quality bill penalizing …
Collier superintendent calls state bill requiring merit pay for teachers a …
Naples Daily News – Katherine Albers – Mar 8, 2010
… teachers often called tenure would be replaced by a continuing series of annual contracts. The bill was called a “nuclear weapon” by Florida Education …
Should Teacher Salary Be Based On Test Scores?
Central Florida News 13 – Troy Kinsey – Mar 8, 2010
He’s backing the bill because of another provision that would do away with teacher tenure. It wouldn’t matter how long you’ve worked or how many degrees you …
Orlando Sentinel (blog) – mike thomas – Mar 8, 2010
As a 6th grade teacher in Florida I was appalled by your article. I was already well aware of the changes coming for this profession, but the fact that you …
Capitol News Service – Mike Vasilinda – Mar 8, 2010
Florida teachers are up in arms over legislation buried deep within a sixty-one page bill that references child abuse. The legislation makes drastic changes …
FEA, teachers: Tenure/merit pay bill will be “ruin of education”
Tampabay.com (blog) – Mar 8, 2010
Charlie Crist recently said that Florida is truly blessed to have such high-quality teachers,” FEA president Andy Ford said. …
Report: Florida, Collier fire more new teachers than national average
Naples Daily News – Katherine Albers, Leslie Williams Hale – Mar 7, 2010
But the report, titled “Ringing the Bell for K-12 Teacher Tenure Reform,” singles out Florida as one state in which attempted tenure reform has failed. …
Reforms will break mold for teachers’ jobs
Orlando Sentinel – Mike Thomas – Mar 6, 2010
And their arch-enemies, the teacher unions, are the focus of the reforms. Gone will be teacher tenure and the job security it provides. …
Thrasher: Time to Base Teacher Pay on Performance
The Jacksonville Observer – Mar 4, 2010
Frederica Wilson, D-Miami, one of those two Democrats, warned that if the state takes away teacher tenure-based pay, teachers will leave the state for more …
Palm Beach Post – Mar 5, 2010
Bills in the Legislature — including one by new Florida GOP Chairman/Sen. John Thrasher — would impose the no-tenure rules. So the threat isn’t a pistol to …
Saturday letters: University tenure deserves to get more scrutiny
Tampabay.com – Mar 5, 2010
One version, by professor of journalism William McKeen, at the University of Florida, provides considerable damning evidence that the state of tenure as …
Local union rep opposes teacher performance bill
Tampa Tribune – Jeff Schmucker – Mar 4, 2010
An area teachers’ union representative plans to fight a Florida State Senate proposal to tie teacher pay and tenure with student …
Tenure reforms should focus on incentives, not punishments
Tampabay.com – Mar 3, 2010
To improve public schools, Florida needs to make it easier to fire bad teachers and reward the effective ones. But the Republican-led Legislature needs to …
Charlie’s last State of the State, Fla. Republicans looking to end teacher …
Creative Loafing Tampa (blog) – Mitch Perry – Mar 3, 2010
Last night Governor Charlie Crist delivered his final State of the State Address. How is Marco Rubio handling it? His press people are issuing out newspaper …
GOP legislators file bills radically altering teacher tenure protections
Tampabay.com – Mar 2, 2010
Florida Education Association general counsel Ron Meyer said moves to revamp teacher tenure would make it “impossible for any district to hire teachers” …
School bills would lead to dramatic changes
Orlando Sentinel – Leslie Postal – Mar 2, 2010
The first would force Florida school districts to develop merit-pay plans for teachers — or risk losing state money. The bill, sponsored by Sen. …
Leslie Postal filed this post on her blog, Sentinel
Orlando Sentinel – Mar 2, 2010
A Senate bill filed yesterday would force Florida school districts to develop merit-pay plans for teachers — or risk losing state money. …
Tenure protects due process on campus
Tampabay.com – Sherman Dorn – Feb 25, 2010
Without revenue to replace federal stimulus dollars, Florida’s school districts will lay off thousands of teachers in the next 18 months
No (Tenured) Teacher Left Behind
Wall Street Journal – Feb 21, 2010
Starting next year, teachers in Houston can lose their jobs if students fall short on standardized tests. Florida and Louisiana have moved to strike last-in …
Merit pay can work for state and for teachers
Atlanta Journal Constitution (blog) – Maureen Downey – Feb 21, 2010
I have seen great teachers be forced from this profession for personal vendettas- remove what little “tenure” rights some have and attach student …
Sarasota Herald-Tribune – Feb 20, 2010
Meanwhile, a state constitutional amendment requiring small class sizes could cost Florida public schools an extra $350 million for more teachers, …