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Teacher tenure bill is in Gov. Charlie Crist's hands

BY HANNAH SAMPSON, PATRICIA MAZZEI AND KATHLEEN McGRORY
Herald/Times Tallahassee Bureau

A hot-potato bill eliminating teacher tenure and tying pay to student test scores landed in Gov. Charlie Crist's hands Friday, tossed by legislators who debated it early into the morning. Now, the waiting -- and wheedling -- begins.

Crist, who has until next Friday to sign or veto the bill, said he expects to take his time with the decision.

"I think it's too important to do anything hasty," he said. "So I want to take as much input as I can and review it, get fully briefed on it again."

The proposed law, which passed the House of Representatives 64-55 and the Senate 21-17, would base half a teacher's evaluation on progress that students make on tests, most of which have not yet been developed. If the students improve, educators could earn more money.

The current system rewards teachers based on years of experience, advanced degrees and extra certification.

ANNUAL CONTRACTS

New teachers would be hired on annual contracts that would not automatically be renewed, which would wipe out tenure for new hires. Opponents say the effect will be to discourage new educators from coming to Florida.

As Crist studies up on the bill, he said he also intends to listen. And opponents are planning to give him an earful over the next several days.

South Florida teachers unions are mobilizing members, parents and others to flood Crist's office with calls and e-mails. Since Thursday afternoon, more than 9,000 e-mails had poured in.

Crist has received more than 10,000 calls opposing the bill and at least 71 in support. Since the beginning of March, he had received more than 15,000 e-mails opposing the measure and at least 66 supporting.

He said the level of concern was unlike any other piece of legislation he has encountered since becoming governor.

Some unhappy with the legislation are those too young to vote. On Friday, thousands of students at a handful of Miami-Dade high schools walked out of class to protest the bill.

"We're against the way the teachers are going to be treated," said Carlos Urra, a junior at South Miami Senior High. "We want our voices to be heard."

At Holmes Braddock Senior High in west Miami-Dade, about 2,500 students left their classrooms in protest, a district spokesman said. And 2,700 students participated in a walkout at Miami Sunset Senior High.

Students at Ferguson Senior High notified each other about the protest via text message. At 1 p.m., they stood by the entrance and chanted, "Kill the bill! Kill the bill!"

"I don't think they should base what teachers get paid on our test scores," said sophomore Carlos Lazo. "If a teacher has a master's degree, they should make more money. That's the fair thing to do."

In Broward, fourth-grade teacher Adelaida Medina passed out fliers imploring parents to call Crist's office to ask him to veto the bill. The 34-year-old, who voted for Crist, said she called him last week asking him to veto it because she figured it would pass the Legislature.

"I just wanted to voice my concern to what's going on," said Medina, who lives in Miami Gardens and teaches at Sea Castle Elementary in Miramar. "He definitely has to take into consideration that there are a lot of people that voted him in -- teachers -- who thought initially he was going to be a better fit for us."

She also wore black on Friday as part of a Broward Teachers Union protest against district budget cuts and the sweeping tenure bill in Tallahassee.

Richard Cantlupe, head of the social studies department at Westglades Middle School in Parkland, said he called Crist's office and e-mailed state Sen. John Thrasher, R-St. Augustine, one of the bill's sponsors, raising concerns about how the legislation would be implemented.

Cantlupe, a Democrat, said he would back Crist if he rejects the bill.

"I would vote for him for Senate if he vetoes this bill," Cantlupe said.

Crist denied being worried about the political consequences of his decision, as he continues to wage a tough battle for a U.S. Senate seat.

BIPARTISAN BILL

A veto would still give lawmakers time to craft a bill that had more bipartisan support -- and, possibly, cooperation from teachers. Education leaders in Florida consider a performance pay plan key to winning as much as $700 million in a competitive federal grant program. Support from the unions would help the state's chances, too.

Some members of the Florida Education Association have suggested in strategy meetings and Facebook messages that the union's largely Democratic base change political affiliations and vote against supporters of the bill in upcoming Republican primaries.

President Andy Ford said the union's leadership has not taken a position on the proposed voter switch campaign. He estimated that about 27 percent of the union's 140,000 members are Republicans.

Local union leaders said their efforts, too, were directed at Crist.

Broward Teachers Union President Pat Santeramo and United Teachers of Dade President Karen Aronowitz said members and surrounding communities are being urged to flood Crist's office with calls.

Aronowitz mentioned a less-controversial bill in the Legislature -- requiring middle school students to pass a civics exam to move on to high school.

"We're engaged in civics education right now," she said.

Herald/Times staff writers Steve Bousquet, Curtis Krueger, Shelley Rossetter, Cristina Silva, Dan Sullivan and Kim Wilmath contributed to this report.

From The Miami Herald...

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Schools brace for teacher 'sickout'

BY PATRICIA MAZZEI, KATHLEEN McGRORY AND STEVE BOUSQUET

Miami-Dade schools officials are preparing for widespread teacher absences on Monday, a district spokesman said.

Late Friday, rumors swirled that many teachers would not attend school to protest proposed legislation on teacher pay and tenure.

"Wow, wow, that's incredible," said Gov. Charlie Crist upon hearing of the plan.

"If that happens Monday, I can certainly understand it," he added. "The vast majority of what I've heard today is strongly adverse to the bill. It's been pretty overwhelming."

The controversial bill, which flew through the state Senate last month and cleared the House on Friday, is now in Crist's hands. He has until next Friday to sign it into law or veto it.

Supporters say the legislation would reward good teachers and make it easier to fire bad ones by tying teacher salaries to student performance -- primarily on tests -- and eliminating tenure.

Opponents counter that without job security, Florida will have a hard time keeping and attracting teachers.

To send a message to Crist, hundreds of teachers are planning on taking a personal day or calling in sick on Monday. A group plans on meeting at Tropical Park in West Miami-Dade to rally against the bill, said Francie Diaz-Escoto, a kindergarten teacher at Kenwood K-8 Center in Kendall.

District spokesman John Schuster urged parents to bring their children to school as usual on Monday.

"The district has a plan in place," he said. "School will be in session. Students will be learning."

Under Florida law, teachers cannot go on strike.

There is no law against teachers taking sick or personal time. They could, however, be disciplined for violating the rules regarding leave time.

As of Friday night, there were no indications that Broward teachers were planning anything similar.

Pat Santeramo, head of the Broward Teachers Union, said the union would not promote the action.

Neither does the Miami-Dade teachers' union.

"We always urge our members to participate outside of their workdays," said United Teachers of Dade President Karen Aronowitz.

Mark Pudlow, a spokesman for the Florida Education Association, a state teachers union, said he was not aware of teachers elsewhere in Florida planning to be absent from school on Monday.

"I haven't heard of anything, anyplace about that," he said. "And frankly, we need to make sure that teachers report to work as usual. I don't think that's a productive way of going about things."

There was surprise at the bold plan, but also recognition of the angst many teachers are feeling.

"While I'd rather have them in the classroom, there's a side of me that understands how they feel," Crist said. "I imagine it's borne out of frustration, out of a hard time being heard in the Legislature, and I'm sympathetic to that side of it."

Crist said he has gotten more reaction about this piece of legislation than he did in 2005, when as attorney general he was asked to intervene in the Terri Schiavo case. He ended up resisting getting involved in the end-of-life issue.

On Friday, at least 20 out of about 60 teachers called in sick at Dr. Manuel C. Barreiro Elementary School in West Kendall, spokesman Schuster said.

Later in the day, dozens of teachers voiced opposition to the bill on Facebook -- and talked about a potential sickout in Miami-Dade.

Within one hour Friday night, there were more than 60 comments posted on the issue.

Schuster said the Miami-Dade district was taking precautionary measures, including putting substitute teachers on call.

District officials also made a list of all central and regional office employees who are certified to teach. Those employees could be called upon to supplement the substitute staff, Schuster said.

Principals at some Miami-Dade schools were preparing for absences Monday. They asked teachers to confirm whether they would be in class.

"All of my teachers were coming in," said Adrianne Leal, principal at Coral Reef Senior High School. "But we'll see on Monday. We'll roll with it."

In the event of absent teachers, the school could combine classes, Leal said.

"We will make sure kids are safe and secure," she said. "If parents want to pick up their kids, we'll have contingency plans."

In an automated call Friday night, Miami-Dade Superintendent Alberto Carvalho told the teachers they had his support "as we end this week marked by turmoil and uncertainty."