FEA: Legislature missing the mark on education
TALLAHASSEE – Florida Education Association (FEA) President Joanne McCall expressed concern today that the Legislature was missing an opportunity to make positive strides on reducing standardized testing, retaining the best teachers and properly funding the state’s public schools.
Speaking with reporters in the final weeks of the state’s annual legislative session, McCall said parents and educators were expecting lawmakers to finally begin to reduce the state’s overreliance on standardized tests and return more instructional time to the classroom. But McCall expressed concern that the common-sense proposal would be enacted by the Legislature.
“We think there’s a real chance that next school year we will see just as many tests, perhaps with even greater consequences,” McCall said.
McCall also said she was troubled by a proposal that would eliminate a local school district’s ability to negotiate policies that would allow them to retain their best teachers.
“We need teachers who have met the challenges of the classroom and are proven to be effective and highly effective,” she said. “Why make it more difficult for them to continue doing well?”
Funding was also a concern. She said lawmakers were more focused on a huge giveaway to the for-profit charter school industry, while short-changing the state’s neighborhood public schools.
