Teachers, others to rally in Bradenton against tenure bill

BRADENTON — Superintendent Tim McGonegal on Tuesday sent a last-minute letter to the governor asking him to veto the controversial teacher tenure bill.

“Please do not place more of a burden on the backs of our teachers during these difficult days when they are constantly being asked to accomplish more with less,” McGonegal wrote Gov. Charlie Crist. “Don’t give your endorsement to this divisive and flawed bill.”

In the two-page letter, McGonegal informed Crist that today concerned parents, students, teachers and others across Manatee County are slated to rally in downtown Bradenton to demonstrate their opposition to the bill. If signed into law this week, it would dramatically change the way teachers are evaluated and paid.

Today’s protest is scheduled to take place at 4:30 p.m. on Manatee Avenue West, between Ninth and 15th streets.

“I think it will have an impact on what the governor does,” said McGonegal, who rescheduled a school board workshop to attend the rally. That workshop on health care had been set for 5:45 p.m., but was pushed back to 6:15 p.m.

The bill, approved by the House and Senate, would place new teachers on annual contracts, link pay raises to student test scores and require school districts to divert 5 percent of their budget into a performance fund maintained by the Florida Department of Education.

Manatee County school administrators would be required to set aside $14 million in the budget, a move that some fear would mean cuts in areas like music and art classes.

District officials already are expecting to slash the upcoming school year’s budget by $15 million.

“There are many valid reasons being offered for opposing this particular piece of legislation, but let me give you the reason I believe is most compelling – the timing simply couldn’t be worse,” McGonegal wrote in his letter to Crist. “The additional cut in state funding resulting from enactment of (Senate Bill 6) will force our district to eliminate elective offerings and other essential services to our students.”

McGonegal said the bill is flawed and goes against the Constitution of Florida by taking away control from the local school board.

“The elected school board shall operate, control and supervise all free public schools within the school district, yet SB 6 usurps this authority by interfering with the collective bargaining process, specifying salary requirements, imposing prerequisites on the hiring and retention of employees, and tampering with the budgeting and expenditure of funds garnered from local property tax levies,” he wrote. “Please veto SB 6.”

Today’s rally is sponsored by the Manatee County Education Association, the local teachers union, and is supported by Fund Education Now, an Orlando-based advocacy group concerned about cuts in education funding.

“The citizens of Florida have shown overwhelming opposition to the changes contained in this very bad legislation,” said Pat Barber, MEA president. “Included in the bill are requirements for increased testing of students, erosion of local control, elimination of due process for teachers, employment decisions based solely on student test scores, as well as certification renewal based solely on test scores.

“This legislation is bad for students and teachers and ultimately it is bad for Florida’s economy. Most people already understand that the economy cannot flourish without a quality education system, and there cannot be a quality education system without experienced professionals working in the schools.”

While many protesters are expected to attend today, some local residents including Phil Davis said they want others to know there are many people besides lawmakers who are in favor of the bill.

Davis, who’s daughter attends a local middle school, said he hopes Crist signs the bill into law this week.

The rally is open to teachers, parents and the public. Those who plan to attend are asked to wear red and bring a sign designed to “inform the public of the need for Gov. Crist’s veto.”