Putting Progress at Risk

Florida Gov. Charlie Crist last Thursday vetoed legislation approved by the Republican-controlled legislature that would have overhauled the state's education system by eliminating the traditional teacher tenure system and linking teacher pay to student performance. The backlash from teachers, students and other concerned citizens was unprecedented: Crist's office received thousands of e-mails and phone calls in opposition to the bill and protests sprung up across the state. Politics, some have speculated, influenced the governor's decision. Crist, a moderate Republican, is facing a tough Senate primary, and the veto could help him position himself for a possible run as an independent in November.

Did Crist make the right decision? Why or why not? What are the national implications?

-- Eliza Krigman, NationalJournal.com

Joel Klein, NYC Schools Chancellor and Education Equality Project Co-Chairperson

When it comes to education, there are few viewpoints that garner near-universal agreement. One rare exception is that great teachers are the key to student success. Research clearly demonstrates that an excellent teacher can significantly boost student learning, and having three highly-effective teachers in a row can actually eliminate the shameful achievement gap that has plagued public education for generations. Meanwhile, a student who has three low-performing teachers in a row falls so far behind that it is difficult for them to make up that lost ground.

In vetoing Senate Bill 6 (SB6), Governor Crist turned his back on this evidence, missing a historic opportunity to transform Florida’s public education system and the lives of its students for the better.

SB6 would have recognized the importance of the teaching profession by tying educators’ salaries to student progress, fairly evaluating teachers based on how much ground individual students gain over the course of the school year. At the same time, the bill would have made it easier to remove the lowest-performing teachers from the classroom.

These common-sense reforms would help professionalize teaching, attracting the best and brightest into the education field and offering career ladders and compensation to keep them there. And that, in turn, would ensure that students are prepared for the demands of college and the 21st-century economy. Such reforms also send an important message about our priorities and values—when it comes to educating our children, we accept nothing less than excellence.

Over the past decade, Florida has adopted bold and often controversial reforms that have yielded tremendous gains. The Governor’s decision to let politics trump the interest of school children risks undermining that progress.

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Categories: Education News