Education 'trains' on the move in Senate
By BRANDON LARRABEE
THE NEWS SERVICE OF FLORIDA
THE CAPITAL, TALLAHASSEE, February 25, 2016..........A slate of education measures spliced into two larger bills passed the Senate Appropriations Committee on Thursday, as legislative "trains" dealing with public-school issues began to leave the station.
One of the bills (SB 524), which originally weighed in at 15 pages, was amended to run closer to 59 pages. At least seven other pieces of legislation were combined in the new measure, which now deals with everything from funding for universities that are approaching "pre-eminent status" to services related to cochlear implants.
Most of the debate on the bill revolved around the "Best and Brightest" program, which would give annual bonuses to teachers who are highly rated and whose SAT or ACT scores rank in the top fifth of test results. The measure is a priority of the House but has encountered resistance in the Senate.
An amendment sponsored by Sen. Alan Hays, R-Umatilla, would have eliminated the Best and Brightest program altogether, but was defeated on a voice vote.
Hays argued that he doesn't oppose programs that reward teachers, but that the measure divided younger teachers who were more likely to have easy access to their test scores against older teachers who might not.
"I would urge anybody and everybody devising such a system, don't make it insulting to those teachers that have been in the career for decades that are highly effective and, yet, just because they didn't score high on this particular test, they're ineligible for this program," Hays said.
Sen. Don Gaetz, a Niceville Republican who heads the Senate education budget committee, said the bill would help recruit good students to enter the teaching profession. And he noted that, except for brand-new teachers, recipients of the bonuses have to be rated highly effective.
"It's a recruitment tool, but then you have to produce," Gaetz said. "And if you don't produce, you don't get the bonus."
Another amendment that was shot down --- this one offered by Sen. Anitere Flores, R-Miami --- would have allowed teachers to qualify for the bonuses under a national teacher certification program. Flores argued that some older teachers might not have even taken tests like the SAT or ACT for college admissions.
But Gaetz, 68, was skeptical of that argument, saying he had taken an admissions exam.
"Consequently, that must have been very early in the history of education in our state," he said.
The Best and Brightest debate could crop up again when the measure reaches the Senate floor. Sen. Jack Latvala, R-Clearwater, said he would try to deal with the provision when all 40 members of the chamber are on hand.
The Senate also approved another broad education bill (SB 1166) with a variety of new initiatives. That legislation went from 36 pages to around 85 pages.
It now includes provisions that would allow children to go to any school in the state that is not at capacity; require that private schools be allowed to participate in different sports in different athletic conferences; and tighten charter school accountability standards. The measure passed with little debate.
The formation of legislative trains --- linking together various issues in single bills --- is a longstanding practice, particularly late in legislative sessions. But at least one prominent senator said after the meeting that he was wary of the cobbling together of omnibus bills on topics like education.
"I think it complicates the process," said Appropriations Chairman Tom Lee, R-Brandon. "It confuses the members. People don't know what's in the legislation. ... I really don't think that's the healthiest way to pass public policy."
