We just finished the first week of the 2011 Legislative Session in Tallahassee. We’re only a week into the 60-day session and already big things are happening that will affect middle class Floridians like you and me.
Jobless Benefits Cut:
In the first week, House Republicans pushed through a cut to jobless assistance for out-of-work Floridians. I spoke out against this decision, but the Republican-dominated legislature was able to pass the bill. Cutting aid to Florida’s unemployed while lining the pockets of CEOs from out-of-state corporations is not my idea of moving Florida forward. The bill now heads to the Senate, where it is likely to pass as well.
Coming Up This Week:
Having already passed the Senate, the House will be debating a bill tying teacher pay to FCAT scores. Despite promising to work with our public schools, the Republican majority has put forward essentially the same bill as they did last year – the infamous Senate Bill 6, which Governor Crist vetoed. Numerous problems still remain with this bill.
Few people would argue for paying good teachers more, but there’s a difference between the vindictive, political games being played right now by the majority, and real policy that creates great teachers and a great education for our children.
Let’s be clear: the majority intends to cut more than $1 billion in K-12 education this year. If Governor Rick Scott gets his way, we’ll face nearly $4 billion over two years. In order to meet the budget, schools may have to lay off thousands of school teachers or cut their pay by 10-15%. Now, to implement a “merit pay” plan while making these levels of cuts, they will then have to do another round of layoffs or cut another 10% out of teacher pay.
So, how will Florida attract teachers with an immediate 20% pay cut to a salary that is already nearly $5,000 below the national average? How are we supposed to convince talented people to enter the education field with salaries that won’t pay a mortgage? The Republican majority always talks about running Florida “like a business.” Just like any business, we must compete for the most qualified employees. For us, that’s teachers. If we are truly concerned with attracting great teachers, we won’t achieve that with ridiculously low wages.
Second, the bill hands the details over what qualifies as “merit” to an unelected, Governor-appointed board. Right now, the bill has huge, glaring unknowns because the Republican majority wants to place it in the hands of faceless appointees. For example, imagine having a child move into your classroom a week before the FCAT and being told your ability to continue teaching depends on how that child performs on the test. What about non-FCAT classes? All this is left to others to decide.
Keep Track of Session:
There are so many issues that often I don’t get a chance to include them in our newsletters. To track issues yourself, you can go to the Bill Tracker page at www.myfloridahouse.gov and set up alerts for certain bills. If you have any questions, feel free to contact our office.
Awakening the State!
There was one bright spot last week though. 15,000 Floridians from all walks of life united against the Governor’s budget cuts and the Republican’s war on the middle class. On March 8th, 31 cities across the state told Florida’s leaders that we cannot afford policies that balance the budget on the backs of Florida’s most vulnerable while handing out tax cuts to Wall Street CEOs and out-of-state corporations. Many of you took part in these peaceful demonstrations from Pensacola to Key West.
IN THE NEWS: Don’t miss my interview on Orlando Matters this Saturday on My65 at 7:00 am!
Scott Randolph
If you know of a community event in the future, send me an invitation at [email protected], on Facebook or on Twitter.
