Commissioner Putnam Applauds the House State Affairs Committee for Voting in Support of Bill to Improve School Nutrition

Tallahassee, FL – The House State Affairs Committee today joined the Senate Agriculture Committee in supporting Agriculture Commissioner Adam Putnam’s Healthy Schools for Healthy Lives Act, a bill intended to expand school access to Florida’s fresh fruits and vegetables by moving school nutrition programs to the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services.

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I was asked by my high school English teacher and good friend to explain my thoughts about the issue. I sat on my couch last year in Tallahassee and personally prepared these remarks on my little Blackberry in response to her question. They accurately represent my opinions on the issue but have been modified to reflect the changes in the bill since last year. I have backed them up with some very important facts about the bill which led me to my conclusions (see attached). I hope you will take the time to read the information.

House Bill 7019 aligns existing statute regarding educator performance evaluations with the reforms being implemented through Florida’s $700 million Race to the Top grant which was supported by 62 of 67 school districts and local teachers unions (but not Polk’s). I will be voting in favor of House Bill 7019 on the floor this week for a series of reasons:

1. I believe tenure, commonly known as professional service contracts, is bad for parents and students. I honestly believe this is a step toward dealing with it in a fair, “going-forward” manner, not taking something away from those who already have it.
2. Some may fundamentally disagree about merit pay in general, but, as you know I have been consistent in my support for various levels of merit pay since I arrived here. I agree that we shouldn’t base merit pay 100% on testing, and the bill doesn’t do that. By the same token, again, where some may disagree, I also believe we shouldn’t base salary or increases 100% on how long you’ve been there which is how it’s done now. I finally think that the current subjective principal evaluation system is baseless and, frankly, a joke. So that begs the question, how do you craft a policy that is fair to the subjective relationship between a teacher and a principal and fair to the teacher in recognizing his/her students achievement? I think the 50% model is a fair compromise there, again, if the testing can be done in an honest, substantive and robust way.
3. Most importantly, there is a FOUR YEAR implementation timeframe. I hope to be here at the table helping craft good policy for the implementation, but that will require being at the table from the beginning.

I tend to agree that there could be complications with some of the End of Course examination development. That said, Hillsborough and Duval already have most of them, and will make them available (AND, they developed theirs without any additional resources). But keep in mind the bill doesn’t mandate specific EOC’s…In many cases the tests that teachers already give in their individual subjects will qualify. The DOE will be forced in the 4 year period to work with teachers and districts to outline the specifics relative to test development and implementation (the bill language is very specific about the mandatory nature of a collaborative process).

Last year, I acknowledged that there were some mistakes in the bill as drafted. In my 10 years of public service, I have voted for very few proposals that didn’t need some re-working in later years. Fortunately, many of my concerns from last year have been rectified in HB 7019, specifically as it pertains to the NBCT program and certification.

There is a tremendous amount of political posturing going on with this issue. Please don’t believe all the stuff the union is spreading about the “Republicans’” intentions or the bill itself…it is not mean-spirited, it does not reduce any teacher’s pay one dime, it does not take away any current teacher’s tenure, and teacher contracts will still be subject to the union’s collective bargaining. If someone tells you differently, ask them to point to that section of the bill because it’s just not true.

Please know that this unfortunately-heightened political fight is about one thing–the unrelenting protection of tenure–nothing more, nothing less. The union knows good and well that the bill gives plenty of time and flexibility to work out any other issue that arises.

I agree that there are large questions that will come forward as the policy is implemented and I honestly think the bill does a good job of anticipating that fact in the four year implementation process.

Finally, I so strongly believe that tenure is bad for parents and children that I am absolutely willing to take this step and participate in this process if it means the chance to eliminate the bad public policy of guaranteed tenure.

Those are my opinions on the bill and they represent the philosophical basis for my decision to support the bill.

To read more about the bill please see the attached Education OPI.

Locally, Polk State College and Hillsborough Community College have done a yeoman’s job in meeting our community’s workforce needs while experiencing record student enrollment. In fact, Hillsborough County ranked 20th in the nation for the number of association degrees awarded in 2009. This significant achievement shows that it is not only how much we spend on education that matters; how we spend it matters too. Florida’s open-door policy continues to prepare our students for the global marketplace. Going forward, I am committed to improving the efficiency and effectiveness of the delivery of undergraduate education and to ensuring financial aid opportunities are available to Florida students.

Results from the Florida Department of Education:

Elementary School (Grades 3 – 5 reading and mathematics, and grade 5 science)

71% are reading at or above grade level, a decrease of one percentage point from last year, but an overall increase of 17 percentage points since 2001.

72% are demonstrating mathematics skills at or above grade level, an increase of 20 points since 2001, but flat compared to 2009.

49% of fifth grade students are performing at or above grade level in science, up three percentage points from last year and 21 points since 2003.

Middle School (Grades 6 – 8 reading and mathematics, and grade 8 science)

The percentage of students reading at or above grade level increased by one percentage point in grades six and seven to 67% and 68%, respectively.

The percentage of students demonstrating mathematics skills at or above grade level increased by one percentage point in grades five and seven to 63% and 61%, respectively and two points in grades six and eight to 67% and 68%, respectively.

43% of eighth grade students are performing at or above grade level in science, up two percentage points from last year and 15 points since 2003.

High School (Grades 9 and 10 reading and mathematics, and grade 11 science)

The percentage of students reading at or above grade level increased by one point in grade nine to 48% and two points in grade ten to 39%.

The percentage of students demonstrating mathematics skills at or above grade level increased by four points in grade ten to 73%.

38% of eleventh grade students are achieving in science at or above grade level, up one percentage point from last year and up five per-centage points since 2005.

District and school specific scores can be found by clicking here: http://fcat.fldoe.org/results/default.asp

The vitality of Florida’s economy demands a highly educated workforce and excellent teachers are one of the most important factors contributing to the success of our students. For years, the State of Florida has told teachers that the only way they can earn additional money is to stay put and grow old in their profession. We now have the opportunity to develop a bonus system by which we can reward quality teachers now for the hard work they do and incentivize those who undertake the greatest challenges in the lower performing schools.

Please take a look at the following attachment for more information: Teacher Merit Pay

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