All of the major candidates for governor are pushing for the change in the state Constitution that dictates how large school classrooms can be, which could let some classes increase slightly in size.
Supporters of a proposed constitutional amendment that would allow for a more lenient way of counting students to give schools flexibility on meeting class size requirements touted the positions of the gubernatorial candidates in a release Wednesday, saying the candidates were putting policy over politics by unanimously supporting the proposed change in the law.
“School districts statewide are bracing for a wave of chaos and confusion that the original class size amendment will bring this fall,” said Sen. Don Gaetz, R-Niceville, one of the amendment’s sponsors, in a press release. “This proposed amendment is about providing local educators with increased flexibility to make staffing, operations and other decisions. It’s about keeping class sizes at a level where teachers can teach and children can learn.”
In 2002, Florida voters overwhelmingly approved a Constitutional change that would cap class sizes at 18 students for kindergarten through third grade, 22 in fourth through eighth grade, and 25 in high school. Smaller classes have been phased in since 2002, but never fully implemented.
At the start of the 2010 school year, every classroom will have to meet those hard caps.
The proposed change, Amendment Eight, would tweak those requirements so that class size would be calculated at a grade-level average, not an individual classroom cap, allowing some classes to go above the original capped number.
But to change the law, 60 percent of Florida voters or more will have to give the OK on Election Day, a huge mountain to climb for supporters of the change and all sides are prepared for a fight leading up to November.
A Ron Sachs Communications/Mason-Dixon poll released in May showed that the voters were virtually split on the issue. Of 625 voters surveyed from May 3 to May 5, 44 percent favored the change and 39 percent opposed it, with 17 percent undecided. The margin of error was 4 percent.
The issue has even split the education community, with the state teachers’ union, which pushed for the 2002 constitutional change, stridently opposing Amendment Eight. Administrators and school boards, however, have sought the changes, saying the current law places the school districts in a virtual straight jacket.
Mark Pudlow, a spokesman for the Florida Education Association, said it was not surprising that the major candidates for governor were examining the issue – because balancing next year’s budget is the biggest problem they face.
“I’m guessing all the gubernatorial candidates are looking at that because where are you going to get the funds?” he said. “The whole idea of properly investing in public education hasn’t sunk in with all people.”
The FEA is preparing to actively campaign against the class size amendment and counters that the flexibility school districts want can be achieved through legislation, making a constitutional change unnecessary.
“This is not what they’re really looking for. They’re looking to save money,” Pudlow said. “It’s going to mean more kids in the classroom, less money for the classroom.”
By Kathleen Haughney
The News Service of Florida
