Miami Herald Logo

Florida school activists wary of Gov. Rick Scott’s listening tour | Miami Herald

×
  • E-edition
  • Home
    • Site Information
    • Contact Us
    • About Us
    • Herald Store
    • RSS Feeds
    • Special Sections
    • Advertise
    • Advertise with Us
    • Media Kit
    • Mobile
    • Mobile Apps & eReaders
    • Newsletters
    • Social
    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • Google+
    • Instagram
    • YouTube

    • Sections
    • News
    • South Florida
    • Miami-Dade
    • Broward
    • Florida Keys
    • Florida
    • Politics
    • Weird News
    • Weather
    • National & World
    • Colombia
    • National
    • World
    • Americas
    • Cuba
    • Guantánamo
    • Haiti
    • Venezuela
    • Local Issues
    • Crime
    • Education
    • Environment
    • Health Care
    • In Depth
    • Issues & Ideas
    • Traffic
    • Sections
    • Sports
    • Blogs & Columnists
    • Pro & College
    • Miami Dolphins
    • Miami Heat
    • Miami Marlins
    • Florida Panthers
    • College Sports
    • University of Miami
    • Florida International
    • University of Florida
    • Florida State University
    • More Sports
    • High School Sports
    • Auto Racing
    • Fighting
    • Golf
    • Horse Racing
    • Outdoors
    • Soccer
    • Tennis
    • Youth Sports
    • Other Sports
    • Politics
    • Elections
    • The Florida Influencer Series
    • Sections
    • Business
    • Business Monday
    • Banking
    • International Business
    • National Business
    • Personal Finance
    • Real Estate News
    • Small Business
    • Technology
    • Tourism & Cruises
    • Workplace
    • Business Plan Challenge
    • Blogs & Columnists
    • Cindy Krischer Goodman
    • The Starting Gate
    • Work/Life Balancing Act
    • Movers
    • Sections
    • Living
    • Advice
    • Fashion
    • Food & Drink
    • Health & Fitness
    • Home & Garden
    • Pets
    • Recipes
    • Travel
    • Wine
    • Blogs & Columnists
    • Dave Barry
    • Ana Veciana-Suarez
    • Flashback Miami
    • More Living
    • LGBTQ South Florida
    • Palette Magazine
    • Indulge Magazine
    • South Florida Album
    • Broward Album
    • Sections
    • Entertainment
    • Books
    • Comics
    • Games & Puzzles
    • Horoscopes
    • Movies
    • Music & Nightlife
    • People
    • Performing Arts
    • Restaurants
    • TV
    • Visual Arts
    • Blogs & Columnists
    • Jose Lambiet
    • Lesley Abravanel
    • More Entertainment
    • Events Calendar
    • Miami.com
    • Contests & Promotions
    • Sections
    • All Opinion
    • Editorials
    • Op-Ed
    • Editorial Cartoons
    • Jim Morin
    • Letters to the Editor
    • From Our Inbox
    • Speak Up
    • Submit a Letter
    • Meet the Editorial Board
    • Influencers Opinion
    • Blogs & Columnists
    • Blog Directory
    • Columnist Directory
    • Andres Oppenheimer
    • Carl Hiaasen
    • Leonard Pitts Jr.
    • Fabiola Santiago
    • Obituaries
    • Obituaries in the News
    • Place an Obituary

    • Place an ad
    • All Classifieds
    • Announcements
    • Apartments
    • Auctions/Sales
    • Automotive
    • Commercial Real Estate
    • Employment
    • Garage Sales
    • Legals
    • Merchandise
    • Obituaries
    • Pets
    • Public Notices
    • Real Estate
    • Services
  • Public Notices
  • Cars
  • Jobs
  • Moonlighting
  • Real Estate
  • Mobile & Apps

  • el Nuevo Herald
  • Miami.com
  • Indulge

Politics

Florida school activists wary of Gov. Rick Scott’s listening tour

By Tia Mitchell

    ORDER REPRINT →

September 25, 2012 10:22 PM

It will take more than a listening tour to convince education advocates across Florida that Gov. Rick Scott is on their side.

They are wary and skeptical of the man they have seen mostly as an adversary for the past two years. Now, they wait to see what kind of policies Scott will propose for the 2013 legislative session and budget and whether his decisions will reflect their advice.

“We were actually thrilled when finally he realized that we are the right persons to go to when you’re asking about parents,” said Eileen Segal, president of the Florida PTA, who met with the governor a couple of weeks ago. “We’re hoping that this is only the first of many conversations.”

Segal said she is willing to trust Scott, but is waiting to see what he does.

Sign Up and Save

Get six months of free digital access to the Miami Herald

SUBSCRIBE WITH GOOGLE

#ReadLocal

“We’re watching,” she said. “That’s all I can say — we’re watching.”

Scott’s first-year budget cut education funding by $1.1 billion. He waited eight months to visit a traditional public school while class was in session. He traveled to a Jacksonville-area charter school to sign his first bill into law — eliminating tenure for new K-12 teachers and tying their pay increases to students’ performance.

And this is a governor who has said he hopes to increase the number of charter schools and has advocated for more vouchers to allow students to use public funds to attend private schools — all while funding for traditional public schools has declined.

“I’m an elementary teacher, so I try never to close the door on anybody,” said Florida Education Association President Andy Ford. “Some day you’re going to see the light, and it’s going to click, and I think that may have happened for the governor.”

Scott’s office did not respond to repeated requests to discuss his education policies past, present or future.

The governor already has made some decisions, such as announcing that he will not support reductions in education spending in 2013. He also created a committee of seven county schools superintendents that will come up with recommendations to reduce regulations and paperwork for teachers.

But for now, Scott has left most discussions open-ended. He is listening, he has said, and the legislative session does not begin until March.

Linda Kobert, co-founder of parent advocacy organization Fund Education Now, said Scott should make a bold move early on to demonstrate that he is listening and acting in good faith. She wants him to come out against the “parent trigger” bill.

The legislation, supported by Republicans and charter school advocates, died in the Senate in 2012 on a tie vote. It would have allowed parents to turn low-performing public schools into charter schools, and its supporters have promised to bring it up again next year.

Scott supported the bill, calling it “logical.” But a coalition of parent organizations, including the Florida PTA, opposed it.

“If the governor were to come out forcefully and publicly in support of the parents’ position on that particular piece of legislation, it would go a long way for parents trusting that he has their best interest in mind,” Kobert said.

But state Sen. Nancy Detert, R-Venice, doesn’t think it’s time yet for Scott to take sides on hot-button issues. Detert, a former Sarasota County School Board member, opposed the “parent trigger” bill.

She said she thinks Scott should focus more broadly, coming up with a comprehensive education policy that defines his administration. She noted that former Gov. Jeb Bush and his foundation still have a prominent voice.

“Gov. Scott needs to put his own personal stamp on what kind of system that he wants,” Detert said. “Most of the ideas have been coming from a previous governor, so what we need is the current governor to let us know what his thoughts are.”

By virtue of his highly publicized education listening tour, Scott has heightened the stakes for his education agenda.

If he appears to acquiesce to unions and advocacy organizations too much, he could lose favor with the tea party activists who embraced him as an outsider. On the other hand, if the education community doesn’t see its thoughts incorporated into his plan, the recent goodwill could erode.

For example, Scott has said he would like to tie school funding increases to student achievement. Depending on the specifics, unions and school districts might balk at the idea that schools with more-affluent student bodies could get more money by virtue of higher test scores.

Scott also must overcome criticism that he is not serious about education policy, and he must deflect accusations that he is using teachers and schools as the first wave of his 2014 reelection campaign.

Already, the Republican Party of Florida has aired two television ads touting Scott’s commitment to public education.

And during Scott’s listening tour, a Tallahassee parent was rejected from a panel with the governor because she could not pass a background check. Scott’s office has since invited the woman to meet one-on-one with the governor next week.

  Comments  

Videos

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis wants statewide grand jury into school security across state

Who is Amy Klobuchar? | 2020 presidential candidate

View More Video

Trending Stories

Haiti is once again on edge, and humanitarian aid groups debate whether to go or cancel

February 14, 2019 07:24 PM

He was robbed while mowing a lawn. He talked. Then 40 bullets were fired into his house

February 14, 2019 08:45 AM

Dolphins sign former second-round defensive end and a young cornerback

February 15, 2019 03:30 PM

Hearts are heavy, attendance is light at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School

February 14, 2019 09:05 AM

Here are some of the worst mistakes immigrants make applying for legal papers

February 15, 2019 11:26 AM

Read Next

The Latest: Merkel says US calling European cars a threat

Business

The Latest: Merkel says US calling European cars a threat

The Associated Press

    ORDER REPRINT →

February 16, 2019 06:12 AM

German Chancellor Angela Merkel says U.S. authorities appear to have concluded that European cars are a threat to national security.

KEEP READING

Sign Up and Save

#ReadLocal

Get six months of free digital access to the Miami Herald

SUBSCRIBE WITH GOOGLE

MORE POLITICS

AP Interview: Dem leader won’t wait on presidential nominee

National Politics

AP Interview: Dem leader won’t wait on presidential nominee

February 16, 2019 06:10 AM
Nigeria delays its election; candidates rush back to capital

Nation & World

Nigeria delays its election; candidates rush back to capital

February 16, 2019 06:07 AM
Scattered yellow vest protests against Macron, anti-Semitism

Nation & World

Scattered yellow vest protests against Macron, anti-Semitism

February 16, 2019 05:58 AM
Retired Indian general urges caution against Pakistan strike

Nation & World

Retired Indian general urges caution against Pakistan strike

February 16, 2019 05:58 AM
The Latest: Nigerian president ‘disappointed’ by poll delay

Nation & World

The Latest: Nigerian president ‘disappointed’ by poll delay

February 16, 2019 05:19 AM

Nation & World

Merkel urges China to join disarmament efforts

February 16, 2019 05:17 AM
Take Us With You

Real-time updates and all local stories you want right in the palm of your hand.

Icon for mobile apps

Miami Herald App

View Newsletters

Subscriptions
  • Start a Subscription
  • Customer Service
  • eEdition
  • Vacation Hold
  • Pay Your Bill
  • Rewards
Learn More
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Newsletters
  • News in Education
  • Public Insight Network
  • Reader Panel
Advertising
  • Place a Classified
  • Media Kit
  • Commercial Printing
  • Public Notices
Copyright
Commenting Policy
Privacy Policy
Terms of Service


Back to Story