Huge Legal Ruling Exonerates Florida's School Reforms...

Opponents of school reform got punched in the face today in court, losing a massive, broad ranging suit against the state.  The plaintiff's case:  That virtually every reform enacted in Florida since the late 1990s is unconstitutional.

Today, a judge in Leon County wrote an order that dismissed these claims.  From the Palm Beach Post Blog:

 "Reynolds dismissed the organization’s wide-ranging claim that Florida had failed its duty to provide every student with a high quality and uniform education, as required by the state constitution since a voter-approved 1998 amendment."

Statewide Test Glitches Add to Student, Teacher Anxieties

Testing statewide since Monday for the new Florida Standards Assessment has been a train-wreck.

Locally, many students logged on, began to complete the test, and then were booted off of the system.  Others could not even log-on to the system in the first place.  Sadly, many students that started the test and then were knocked off the system and then re-logged in--found to their dismay that all their previous work was gone.  Poof!

So anxiety levels among students have been rising, and for teachers and administrators, anxiety and frustration is turning to anger.  At one local high school alone, 28 Substitute teachers were brought in to help proctor the test that "didn't happen" due to a glitch in the testing platform.  Those substitutes, and all substitutes district-wide that were hired as proctors will still have to be paid, and they'll be paid again today as they come again to our schools and we "try again."  A unnecessary WASTE of taxpayer money due to deficient planning by the state.  What more can be said?

DOE BOTCHED this test roll-out, and they are costing local districts time, energy, and money.

More importantly, DOE are making the environment for students taking these tests that much more uncomfortable, and for this alone there is no compensation that can ameliorate this damage.

According to our Superintendent, Malcolm Thomas, we will again try to administer these tests today, Thursday March 5th.  Hopefully the platform will work this time and we can get this battery of tests put behind us.

Meanwhile, national media outlets are weighing in, with the Washington Post calling this "Florida's Testing Disaster"

..just what we needed, more negative press.

So Which Version of the Testing Story is True?

A few years back and three Chancellors of Education ago-- then Chancellor Gerard Robinson made an allegation on his blog that infuriated many board members around the state.  In this statement made by Robinson--he deflected statewide criticism he was receiving from education stakeholders regarding the out-of-control testing mandates coming down from Tallahassee.  He simply blamed local districts.  It wasn't us, it's them, they did it!

 It reminds me of a scene from the 1979 film "The Warriors" captured at minute 1:42 of this clip.

(Wrong guys got blamed due to a false statement being repeated over and over and over loudly and often by someone in a  position of  credibility)

At that time in  July 2012, I brought the issue to the board meeting and was reassured that it was the state, not us, that was mandating the massive number of tests.

Fast forward to last Tuesday and the big education summit in Tallahassee, and this time I heard with my own ears directly from the highest education official in the state  that it is local districts, not the state DOE or Tallahassee mandates, that are driving the massive number of tests administered yearly at the district level?

So who is it?

This issue was discussed by one of my counterparts on the board, and recently in speaking to a peer in a central Florida county, they are asking the same questions and are receiving murky, misleading, or flat-out inaccurate answers.

Looks like it's time to once again bring this issue to the board's workshop to pin down who it is, exactly, that is mandating the ridiculous number of tests that we are administering locally.

We're all for a rational, reasonable level of standardized testing for accountability--but what we are doing statewide now is ridiculous and it is burning out teachers and students and robbing classrooms of learning time.

Florida Governor Rick Scott Visits Pensacola

Florida Governor Rick Scott stopped in Pensacola Saturday evening to thank supporters and to talk about the next four years in Florida and his agenda for continuing Florida's forward progress.  He was in the midst of a six stop trip around Florida, celebrating the huge conservative election victories nationwide and statewide.  Local small business success story, Global Business Solutions, Inc., hosted the event at their headquarters here in Pensacola.

Governor Scott discussed the crucial importance of K-12 Education in Florida, and committed to continuing the increases in funding to Florida's K-12 system over the next years that he will be in office.  In addition to discussing education, he reiterated his desire to keep adding jobs in Florida, as a driver of revenue to the state that will enable him to continue increase funding for worthy programs like education without raising taxes.  

In addition to prioritizing education funding, the Governor also recommitted to the goal of making Florida the most Military friendly state in the nation for both active duty and retired military personnel.  He recalled that when he was discharged from the Navy in 1974, the climate for military personnel was not good in Florida;  Scott stated that one of his big priorities as Governor was to ensure that Florida remains military friendly.

Scott also thanked the locally elected officials in attendance, including Pensacola Mayor Ashton Hayward,  Sheriff David Morgan, State Representative Mike Hill, Myself, and newly elected County Commissioner Doug Underhill.

He mentioned that crime in the state has been declining, and he noted that having strong  officeholders at the local level is a critical key for Florida's continuing strong performance in many areas.

In my brief conversation with the Governor, I congratulated him on his election victory, his conservative leadership, and I thanked him for continuing to make education a priority.

Sign SB 850 into Law!

So-- very few will actually wade through all 140 pages of SB 850 before jumping on a bandwagon, listening to others' talking points, then becoming conscripts in the charge demanding Governor Scott veto this bill.  But there are some important matters addressed in this bill and I hope Governor Scott will sign it into law.

First and foremost, the provisions related to Career and Professional Education are extremely important;  we all know college is not for every student, and proper CAPE implementation is imperative for the students who will be foregoing college and entering the workforce directly.

In addition, this law fosters an increase in cooperation between colleges and school districts, which in turn will hasten increased dual enrollment opportunities for students and families.  This will save HUGE money for these folks when the college years begin and is a big benefit to parents/taxpayers/college families/and students who do not have lavish budgets for school.  All these folks benefit from SB 850!

Also, the fact that Florida Corporations can lower their tax burdens while simultaneously benefiting students that have special needs, this is a GOOD thing!  The fact that more parents will have more options for their students as a result of the expansion of this program is a GOOD thing!  When did helping families and students with disabilities become a bad thing?  Why would anyone want to stand in between a parent and student, stuck in a failing school system, and a better educational choice for such students/parents?
Answer: ---those who would do this are those who's loyalty is for the system, not the student.  I am the opposite.  I am for parents, students, taxpayers and choice!  I'm agnostic as to the educational vehicle--be it public, private, charter, virtual, or home-school. I want public schools to succeed and get better, I'm a product of excellent public schools and my kids go to public schools--- but the world is changing and we need to keep up.   I also understand economics;  oligopolies and monopolies, in most cases, do not benefit consumers and lead to inferior products, higher costs, and inefficiency.  I want our district, and all districts, to compete!!  This will, in time, make us better, more efficient, and more student-focused.

Meanwhile--the disingenuous vitriol coming from the various guardians of the status quo is just about enough to make me violently ill.  I'm sick and tired of people screaming that allowing student and parental