House Bill 7019–and Seth McKeel

There are a set of schools in Polk County  the bear the McKeel name.   It’s a charter school – which basically  means that special rules apply to them. They get to choose their students and have the option to get rid of those students, for a variety of reasons.  It’s no coincidence that a local State Representative is named. .  . Seth McKeel.   Today a group of teachers held a rally outside of Seth McKeel’s office.  Those teachers who were there disapprove of House Bill 7019 and wanted our local Representative to be aware of our feelings. 

This was part of his response: 

“Today and tomorrow the Florida House will consider House Bill 7019. . . a personnel initiative seeking to end guaranteed tenure by linking evaluations, performance pay and employment decisions with student learning gains.” 

Let’s start with some honesty here:  call it what it is:  Performance pay based on testing.  He goes on to say:

“I will be voting in favor of House Bill 7019 on the floor this week. . .”

I have a hard time with this part. He has already decided how he’s going to vote, regardless of what his constituents think, how his constituents believe and regardless of what evidence is presented to him.  Why on Earth is the House wasting two days discussing the bill, if everyone knows how they will vote already? Is it possible that they are just going through the motions, trying to convince us that they really care what we think, when they plan to pursue their own agendas regardless??

Later he says this: 

“In my 10 years of public service, I have voted for very few proposals that didn’t need some re-working in later years.”

This does NOT inspire confidence in him, his voting, or our system. 

This is what really gets me:

“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.”

The bill requires school districts to set up TWO salary schedules: A ‘grandfathered’ salary schedule for current employees and a new ‘performance salary’ schedule.  The law requires that the new performance salary schedule must be greater than the highest annual salary adjustment available on the grandfathered salary schedule.

· All instructional personnel hired after July 1, 2014 will be paid according to the new performance salary schedule. 

· Employees on the current salary schedule may also choose to move to the new performance salary schedule.  However, current employees who opt into the performance salary schedule must relinquish their continuing or professional service contract and agree to be employed for the remainder of their career on an annual contract.   Lines 580 – 586 say: 

the employee relinquishes such contract and agrees to be employed on an annual contract under s. 1012.335. Such an employee shall be placed on the performance salary schedule and may not return to continuing contract or professional service contract status. Any employee who opts into the performance salary schedule may not return to the grandfathered salary schedule.

Teachers hired after July 1, 2011 or veteran teachers who move to a new school district will automatically be put on one-year contracts for life and will never be eligible for job security or due process. Employees who move to the new performance salary schedule may not return to the grandfathered salary schedule and may not return to continuing contract or professional service contract status. 

The bill requires districts to fund the performance schedule at a higher rate than the ‘grandfathered’ schedule, yet it provides NO NEW FUNDING.  This puts our district in the untenable position of shortchanging services to our students OR taking money from the grandfathered salary schedule.

In addition, the school districts must begin developing and implementing hundreds of additional FCAT style tests and the new evaluation systems this year.  Some estimates say the total cost of new tests, technology and software could be over $2 billion, yet the Legislature is providing NO new funding.

After I read all this, I can’t decide if our Representatives are truly blind or are just choosing NOT to see what’s clearly in front of them.