Excellent Teachers In Florida Classrooms

Speaker Johnnie Byrd, joined by House Committee on Education K-20 Chairman Bev Kilmer, Vice-Chairman Ralph Arza, and Subcommittee on Education Appropriations Chairman David Simmons, outlined the Better Educated Students and Teachers Florida Teaching Act of 2003, or B.E.S.T., to empower teachers in Florida's classrooms through a program of recruitment, retention, and rewards.

"From the beginning, we have said that education policy should be focused from the classroom up, not the board room down," said Speaker Byrd. "Learning does not take place in the principal's office or the superintendent's office. Learning takes place in the classroom and that is where our focus must be."

Under the B.E.S.T. initiative, the state will fund a statewide salary career ladder for teachers, outlining four career categories with bonuses:

• Associate teacher—those who have not achieved full certification or are low performing teachers. (Approximately 15% of current teachers)
  
  
• Career teachers—those who have full certification of competencies. (Approximately 77% of current teachers) The bill provides for these teachers to receive annual bonuses of up to $3,000 when their students achieve outstanding learning gains.
  
  
• Lead teachers—the highest performing 5% of classroom teachers per district who have demonstrated improved student achievement and who lead other teachers. These teachers will be paid an additional salary supplement of $5,000/year.
  
  
• Mentor teachers—the highest performing 3% of teachers per district. These teachers will be paid an additional salary supplement of $10,000/year.
  
  

"We're ensuring that good teachers don't have to leave the classroom for administrative duty just to make a living," said Speaker Byrd.

Starting teacher pay will be a minimum of $31,000 annually beginning with the 2004-2005 school year.

"This bill empowers teachers, gives them control over their classrooms, and raises teacher salaries," said Representative Kilmer. "We're sending a message that we believe excellent teachers to be the glue that holds education together in Florida."

In an effort to recruit more teachers, B.E.S.T. enhances the teacher student loan forgiveness program by increasing the reimbursement for teachers for up to 10 years after they graduate. B.E.S.T. also creates the Teaching Fellows Program to attract graduate students in math, science, or engineering into the teaching profession.

"What we're proposing today will change the face of education in Florida," said Representative Simmons. "We're letting Florida know that teaching is a vital career path and critical to the success of our education reforms."

The B.E.S.T. initiative links performance in the classroom to annual monetary rewards for high performing teachers in each school district. The proposal also allows teachers to remove uncontrollable children from the classroom permanently, instead of just temporarily.

"I have long been saddened that in education the further away from the children you go, the more money you make," said Representative Arza. "This reverses a trend that will allow teachers to stay in the classroom and make a decent living."