Education bill is putting political squeeze on Scott

TALLAHASSEE – A sweeping education bill has become a flashpoint for teachers’ unions, parent groups, administrators and school choice advocates, and it’s putting Gov. Rick Scott in a political bind.

Scott has long been a consistent supporter of expanding charter schools as an alternative to traditional public schools, a key provision of the bill.

But after lawmakers virtually ignored his agenda this year, Scott has hinted he might veto the measure, a top priority of House Speaker Richard Corcoran, R-Land O’Lakes, his main nemesis in the Legislature.

“A lot of these bills we

saw in the last minute, so we’re all reviewing them to see exactly what was in them,” Scott told reporters Tuesday in Jacksonville, sidestepping a question about whether he’d veto the bill.

A veto would put Scott on the side of traditional opponents such as Democrats, teachers’ unions and many school boards, all of which are calling for him to quash the bill.

“He’s said, ‘I’m running on historic funding for public education,’ ” said Senate Democratic leader Oscar Braynon of Miami Gardens. “So at least in that, he is on the same page [with Democrats].”

Corcoran has bedeviled Scott this year by pushing to slash business incentives and tourism funding programs at the heart of the governor’s economic platform.

Even so, Rep. Manny Diaz, R-Miami, who sponsored the measure, said vetoing the bill (HB 7069) would be out of character for Scott.

“It would be surprising to me if he vetoes it, and I would hope that he’s not going to play politics with good policy that’s going to help kids,” Diaz said.

Corcoran could not be reached for comment Wednesday.

The Florida Association of District School Superintendents and the Florida School Boards Association have asked Scott for a veto. Last week, the Palm Beach County School Board asked parents to demand Scott veto the bill, which they said favors charter schools.

The bill allocates $419 million to spend primarily on a teacher bonus program and a new program meant to encourage charter schools to compete against chronically failing traditional public schools.

About $234 million would be used for the Best and Brightest program, which pays teachers bonuses based on their SAT and ACT scores, and allows principals to receive up to $5,000 in bonuses as well if they attract enough teachers who qualify under the program.

Much of the rest of the money would go to the charter school program that Corcoran has dubbed “schools of hope.” It would provide at least $140 million to charter schools to set up within five miles of a traditional school that has received a “D” or an “F” grade for three straight years.

In addition, the bill would direct federal Title I funds serving large numbers of low-income students to go to specific schools rather than districtwide programs.

Critics of the bill say the money for the programs should instead go to traditional public schools. They also dislike a provision that would prevent school districts from giving two-year contracts to teachers rated “highly effective” or “effective.”

“If we’re having a problem recruiting and retaining teachers, why wouldn’t you want to keep a highly effective or effective teacher for more than a year?” asked Sharon Nesvig, spokeswoman for the Florida Education Association, the largest teachers’ union in the state.

The funding changes are enough for critics to push for a veto despite other popular provisions in the bill sought by teachers’ groups, such as eliminating the Algebra 2 end-of-course exam and mandatory recess for all grade schools.

The money in the bill is even more important in light of the minuscule $25 increase in per-student funding for traditional public schools in the overall budget, another main gripe for administrators, who also have called for Scott to veto the entire budget and insist on higher funding than the $20.4 billion allocated for K-12 education. Scott had called for $200 more per student.

If Scott were to veto the education bill, it would be difficult for lawmakers to override him. The bill barely passed the Senate on a 20-18 vote, with three Republicans voting against it. That’s far short of the 24 votes needed for an override.

Vetoing the entire schools budget, however, would be trickier. It would mean the Legislature would have to come back to the Capitol for a special session and potentially rewrite the entire budget. The $82.4 billion budget passed with veto-proof majorities in both chambers.

The Legislature hasn’t officially sent the education bill or the budget to Scott yet. When it does, he’ll have 14 days to make a decision.

There’s no specific timeframe for the bills to be sent to Scott, but the fiscal year begins July 1, so he’ll get the bills before then.