Race to the Top
The link below will take you to the revised Florida Race to the Top MOU. This is the document which the education stakeholders agreed upon on April 28 after nearly 12 hours of discussions:
http://www.flgov.com/rttt/leamou.pdf
Changes were highlighted in yellow and blue.
If you have any questions, please contact Michael Monroe or me at 850-224-2078.
The state’s application in Round 2 of Race to the Top is not SB 6 and it’s not a “watered-down” application. It is an approach to securing the federal grant that all stakeholders are willing to try.
The hard work of local leaders, state and local staff, thousands and thousands of mobilized members, parents and community activists set the stage for the governor’s workgroup on RTTT. FEA, superintendents, school board members, PTA, a former teacher of the year, a disabilities-community activist, two Republican legislators and the Florida Chamber of Commerce met and came to an agreement on the state’s RTTT second-round application.
Within 12½ hours, the workgroup accomplished what the DOE stonewalled for nine months. As I reported to you on the April 26 conference call, I maintained the position we held in January when the DOE actively and openly ignored the concerns of FEA, superintendents and school boards — choosing instead to push the agenda of the Bush Foundation and the Chamber.
This agreement is voluntary for districts and unions, targets the lowest 5 percent of schools and guarantees bargaining collaboration for all new grant issues. It allows for incremental steps through beta testing, which is a system allowing for continuous improvement through ongoing evaluation, adjustment, and budget allocation with eventual roll-out to the entire school system as funding is available (pilots).
The time schedule is:
· 2010-11 (school year) fully develop local plans
· 2011-12 begin beta testing
· 2012-13 begin rollout
· 2013-14 expand rollout to the entire district if funding allows
The details of the RTTT Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) are locally negotiated with collaboration guaranteed on all grant issues not covered in current law. The MOU is a state framework for local decisions concerning teacher evaluation and salary schedules. Degrees and experience are still allowed in designing salary schedules. The evaluation system may include lesson study, common planning, mentoring, peer assistance and review, and professional development.
The scope of the work -- while admittedly very extensive and only partially funded -- can be phased-in during the grant period, but must begin focusing on the lowest 5 percent of schools in the first beta testing period. The evaluation is locally negotiated within the framework of 50 percent based on student achievement; 30 percent of which is based on state-approved tests and end of course exams and 20 percent based on locally defined criteria. The DOE will, using their grant and existing funds, expand end-of-course exams to cover common core subjects.
The MOU goes to Gov. Charlie Crist with a recommendation for an ongoing stakeholders committee for the duration of the grant. Performance pay is part of the grant. It must be negotiated and based on learning gains. The locally developed evaluation system should lead to the performance award and be phased-in by the end of the grant period in 2014.
This truly has been a team effort -- local leaders and staff, PPA, Legal, Bargaining, Organizing, the Superintendents’ Association, School Boards’ Association, Florida PTA, and of course our brothers and sisters in the Florida AFL-CIO. Thank you for making this happen!
Please note: The actual document is currently in a draft for review by the workgroup members. The workgroup has until 3 p.m. today to make sure the wording was captured as we intended. I will email you the actual document as soon as it is available, which I anticipate to be late today or Monday morning.
Andy Ford, President
Florida Education Association
NEA, AFT, AFL-CIO
Imagine The Future!
Final Retirement Update
2010 Legislative Session
·Employee contribution: No employee contribution to FRS will be required. FEA members will not be required to personally contribute any percentage of their pay for retirement. Current law is maintained. This is a big win.
·Heath Insurance Subsidy (HIS): No FRS participant will lose this subsidy. Current law is maintained. This is another big win.
•DROP: The program maintains current law for members currently in DROP. BUT, a provision reducing the interest rate on accumulating DROP deposits passed both the House and the Senate and is included in the final budget/appropriations bill. This means that for anyone “entering DROP on or after July 1, 2010, the interest accrues at an effective annual rate of 3.0 percent compounded monthly, . . .”. This is a reduction from the current DROP interest rate which is 6.5%.
Throughout the 2010 Session of the FL Legislature, significant changes were proposed to all of these FRS programs. Proponents of drastic changes to FRS benefits advanced their proposals to reduce FRS benefits by reciting both ideological and financial reasons. A recent OPPAGA report showing a potential $15.4 billion shortfall in future payments helped spark debate about forcing the state's 27,000 workers to pay into the fund. Most of that fund deficit has been erased, which eased the call for changes.
FEA members made their voices heard by sending thousands of emails and phone calls to their Legislators voicing their opposition to any changes in FRS benefits. As a result of the relentless public pressure from FEA members sending emails and making phone calls to their Legislators, the proposed changes to FRS benefits failed to be included in the final legislation.
All other Legislative Updates and Links have been compiled into one word document. All links are still active. If you would like to review any previously posted information, you can view it here.
