Florida's constitution requires the state to provide a "high-quality" public education, but just being in the document won't make it happen. That job belongs to Gov. Bush and the Legislature. The Constitutional Accountability Commission says they're not doing it.
The bipartisan committee, created by the Florida School Boards Association and co-chaired by former Attorney General Bob Butterworth and former Comptroller Bob Milligan, said Florida's per-pupil spending and low teacher pay help account for a sub-par graduation rate and poor national rankings. Florida ranks 48th in per-pupil spending, 30th in teacher pay and 48th in graduation rates. Even with improving marks on some standardized tests, Florida's scores are 33rd in the country.
Gov. Bush's spokesman insisted that "Florida's education system is right on track. Under the governor, funding for public schools has increased by $6.1 billion and Florida students are reading and performing math at higher levels than ever before." Although Gov. Bush and the Legislature have provided more money, they haven't kept pace with student growth and inflation coupled with the voter-approved requirement to lower the number of students in each class. Paying for smaller classes also is something the constitution requires the state to do, but the Legislature hasn't done it.
The problem remains that Gov. Bush's education policy is gimmick-driven. He and the Legislature have created a plethora of voucher programs and eased the way for creation of record numbers of charter schools, but they have refused to require those programs to meet the same standards required of regular public schools.
And gimmicks keep coming. Rep. Adam Hasner, R-Delray Beach, is pushing a measure that would require school districts to spend at least 65 percent of their budgets "in the classroom" and pitches it as a way to add $1 billion to benefit students without having to raise taxes.
Not only is there no way to prove 65 percent is a magic number, there's no good way to define which money goes "into the classroom." A teacher's salary does, of course. But doesn't the salary of a human resources worker, who keeps the teachers happy, also have classroom effect? On the other hand, Rep. Hasner hopes to put his measure in the constitution, so maybe, like other educational mandates, it wouldn't matter.
