Senate President Mike Haridopolos drew the ire of teachers across Florida when he said, “every teacher should not have a guaranteed, lifetime job”.
Haridopolos, who was speaking at the Tiger Bay Club of Polk County on Monday, was referring to the recent teacher merit bill which places heavy emphasis on student test scores in evaluating teachers and how much they are paid. The bill which took effect on July 1, ends tenure for newly hired teachers by placing them on one-year contracts.
Known as SB 736, the new law ends pay raises for teachers with advanced degrees and places an unfair emphasis on student test scores to grade educators, critics say.
Although the bill was signed into law by Gov. Rick Scott, no provision has been made for its implementation, including the costs of the tests which are projected at upwards of $1 billion dollars.
Scott signed into law a slew of bills harmful to education, including slashing funding by more than $3 billion, loosening class size restrictions in the state constitution and expanding voucher programs.
The Florida Education Association (FEA) has launched a a series of lawsuits challenging the new laws.
