Read on Twitter
Should be studying or grading but I have a tale to tell.
How did I, a 13 year veteran within the same state who’d gotten consistent high evaluation ratings (& the Best & Brightest $$$ when it was happening), get made redundant from my elementary job?
(Spoiler: Rick Scott)
How did I, a 13 year veteran within the same state who’d gotten consistent high evaluation ratings (& the Best & Brightest $$$ when it was happening), get made redundant from my elementary job?
(Spoiler: Rick Scott)
Pre-2010, in Florida districts, we had “tenure” after three years. After Scott’s election as FL’s governor, he signed SB 736 into law, putting into effect teacher evaluations (as determined by district), “bonuses” for higher ratings, and the total elimination of teacher tenure.
Scott’s predecessor, Charlie Crist, has vetoed a similar bill in 2010. Input & activism from Florida’s teachers helped get us there. Not long after that, Crist left the GOP.
I am forever grateful to him for that.
I am forever grateful to him for that.
In 2011, SB 736 was rushed in again & signed by the new governor, Scott.
I was grandfathered in under the “old system” in Broward, my first FL district, because I’d earned “tenure” there before the bill was signed.
I was grandfathered in under the “old system” in Broward, my first FL district, because I’d earned “tenure” there before the bill was signed.
Side note: Florida’s school districts are run by county. Do they’re huuuge, like 5 of them make up half the top ten largest districts in the US.
As of 2016, it’s Miami-Dade no. 4, Broward no. 6, Hillsborough no. 8, Orange no. 9, Palm Beach no. 10. I’ve taught in three of these.
As of 2016, it’s Miami-Dade no. 4, Broward no. 6, Hillsborough no. 8, Orange no. 9, Palm Beach no. 10. I’ve taught in three of these.
We moved to Palm Beach County in 2013 after my mom moved in with us, and I changed jobs. My grandfathered tenure was gone.
In 2019 we moved to Orange, for reasons that turned out to be good. I started all over, again. No guarantees.
In 2019 we moved to Orange, for reasons that turned out to be good. I started all over, again. No guarantees.
Pre-pandemic, I was one of two music teachers at my elementary school and TBH, the situation wasn’t working for anyone. A week before everything fell apart, I interviewed elsewhere, with my then-principal’s blessing.
I found out I did not get the job I’d interviewed for, despite a great interview, on Thursday, April 23rd. I figured I would let my boss know on Monday.
Friday, April 24th, I got my non-renewal letter, as the school was rezoning & staff would be let go/reassigned.
Friday, April 24th, I got my non-renewal letter, as the school was rezoning & staff would be let go/reassigned.
That was brutal, particularly amidst a pandemic (even in the early stages).
Had we kept teacher tenure, I’d have not lost my job. Alternately, my years of experience would have put me first in line in the interview process.
Had we kept teacher tenure, I’d have not lost my job. Alternately, my years of experience would have put me first in line in the interview process.
I’ve landed on my feet, and when I emailed a union guy about it, he said it might have been a blessing in disguise.
Did I deserve to be subjected to what I was subjected to for four months of increasingly hopeless job searches, where I was indeed not sure I’d ever teach again?
Did I deserve to be subjected to what I was subjected to for four months of increasingly hopeless job searches, where I was indeed not sure I’d ever teach again?
And now 10 years on, how has SB 736 worked out for Florida?
Has it attracted high-quality teachers, as it supposedly wanted to?
Has it increased teacher satisfaction, or measurable academic gains for students?
Has it attracted high-quality teachers, as it supposedly wanted to?
Has it increased teacher satisfaction, or measurable academic gains for students?
Or has it kneecapped districts & schools for 10 years instead, consistently putting less experienced teachers in situations they’re not prepared for (see: now) & led FL legislature to say, “Well, public schools don’t work, so let’s privatize more!”
I know that handicapping the schools & then blaming them for underperforming is a playbook often used by both parties (see: CPS), but it has been especially insidious in Florida.
And I personally suffered from it, as have thousands of other teachers. We are in a crisis now, but it’s a crisis on top of a crisis.
And the worst part is, it did not have to be this way. We wrote letters, we marched, we acted, we told you this would happen
And the worst part is, it did not have to be this way. We wrote letters, we marched, we acted, we told you this would happen
So there you have it.
If you want to support students, you have to support teachers. There are no two ways about it. Both in your interactions with your kid’s teachers & the way you vote.
End of story.
If you want to support students, you have to support teachers. There are no two ways about it. Both in your interactions with your kid’s teachers & the way you vote.
End of story.