Jun 11, 2008 12:12 pm US/Eastern
Crist Signs Bill Reducing Teacher Bonuses
TALLAHASSEE (AP) ―
Bonus pay for teachers who obtain national board certification would be reduced by a provision in a budget-related bill Gov. Charlie Crist reluctantly signed into law Tuesday.
In a signing message, Crist wrote that while he favored other parts of the bill (HB 5083) he would try to get the Legislature next year to reinstate the bonuses.
Teachers who earn national board certification still will receive 10 percent bonuses but an additional 10 percent for mentoring other teachers will be discontinued. Also the state no longer will pay anything toward $2,500 application fees. The state now pays 90 percent.
The bill also will no longer allow the bonuses to figure into teachers' retirement calculation. Crist called that a "grave disservice."
Crist, though, said he liked other provisions that will give school districts more flexibility in budgeting to cope with spending cuts and extend an application deadline for them to participate in a merit pay program.
The Merit Award Program, which offers bonuses based largely on how well a teacher's students do on standardized tests, is unpopular among teachers. They say the competition for bonus money destroys teamwork and that the money instead should go for across-the-board pay raises because all Florida teachers are underpaid.
Crist and Republican lawmakers, though, see merit pay as an incentive to improve classroom performance.
(© 2009 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)
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