FL Senate head: Public school teachers not to be paid, treated, or evaluated like charter teachers.

[madfloridian]

If you can read this statement by Florida's Senate President Don Gaetz and not be alarmed, then the anti-public school propagandists have done their job too well.

It looks like the state will pass the new law that is far more charter school friendly, and thus public schools will be deprived of even more resources.

Gaetz's statement that if a teacher chooses to work in a traditional public school, they should not expect to be treated the same as a charter school teacher.....appalling. Right out in the open.

http://stateimpact.npr.org/florida/2013/02/15/florida-senate-president-says-teachers-shouldnt-expect-an-even-playing-field/">Teachers shouldn't expect even playing field

Gaetz is a former public school superintendent and school board chairman in Okaloosa County. I guess he has done a complete about face as charter companies have moved into Florida.

Just as parents have a choice about where to send their kids to school, he said teachers should also have a choice about where to work.

“If you think you’d rather work in a charter school so that you’re not necessarily under the thumb of the district or of a union, I think you ought to have a chance to apply to a charter school and get selected,” Gaetz said.

He says teachers who feel more comfortable in a traditional school environment should be able to work there, too.

“But you’re not going to get paid the same, you’re not going to get treated the same, you’re not going to get evaluated the same,” Gaetz said

Maybe Gaetz should be reminded of how teachers are often treated in Florida charter schools by the management teams who run them.

http://journals.democraticunderground.com/madfloridian/8490">FL failed charter school spent 366,000 on teachers 824,000 on principal

This charter school was closed for failure and financial fraud. It doesn't look to me like they respected and treated their teachers very well.

The principal in question not only received a $519,000 severance check, but she took home her $305,000 annual salary for a grand total of $824,000 during the 2010-2011 school year. The Orlando Sentinel also reported last week the school only spent $366,000 on teacher salaries and instruction during that school year. Nothing can justify that imbalance, especially for the leader of a charter that failed.

Senate leader Don Gaetz is listed as one of Jeb Bush's star reformers at the http://excelined.org/team/don-gaetz/">Foundation for Excellence website

Crossposted at DU3

[Enthusiast]

1. Yes, Gaetz should be reminded.

But these people pay no attention to reality. It's just, repeat the big lie every change you get. The main problem is that Florida citizens are not well informed on this issue.