Even with all the responsibilities on their plates, Florida teachers need to keep on their toes with Senate Bill 6 hovering over their heads.
The bill would tie teacher pay to test scores and eliminate the possibility of tenure. With the move, teachers would join the rest of the world, introducing them to the constant fight for jobs, where performance matters more than experience.
While the move to stop seasoned educators from resting on their laurels seems like a step in the right direction, tying FCAT scores to their pay would be madness.
Teachers who have no capacity to teach could still keep their jobs, provided with a bright class of motivated students.
And the opposite could happen if a good teacher worked in an underachieving school.
Given this scenario, inner-city schools would once again lose. What teacher would risk a job to take a chance on the students who need the most help?
Florida lawmakers cannot expect teachers to sacrifice higher pay and job security for the greater social good. After all, the legislators don’t even do that themselves.
If you’re wondering why Senate Bill 6 matters to all Floridians, consider the results. Teachers would move to the other 49 states for tenure and, often, higher pay. The educators who choose to stay would quickly mold students’ malleable minds into test-taking slot machines used to gamble on the FCAT.
These possibilities don’t bode well for the state’s ailing economy, so here’s to hoping the legislature gets a little smarter about education.
