BlogWood: MT Archives

Jeb! wants special election to thwart voter mandate

Jeb! really wants to kill the class size amendment. In 2002, Florida voters decided to cap elementary through high school class sizes with a constitutional amendment after the legislature repeatedly failed to act.

What voters said they wanted

(Three) years ago, Florida voters approved a constitutional amendment to reduce class sizes. By the 2010 school year, every classroom in the state will be limited to 18 students in kindergarten through third grade, 22 students in grades 4 through 8, and 25 students in high school. The plan is being phased in over eight years: Starting last year (2003), school districts had to reduce their district-wide class size average by two students, a standard most had little trouble meeting.

In 2006-07, it gets tougher. Compliance will be measured on a school-by-school average.

In 2008-09, the standard changes to an actual student count for every classroom rather than an average.

So, the system worked: when lawmakers did not respond to the needs of the people, citizens used the amendment process to override elected leaders and force change. But there’s a problem: Jeb! hates it when democracy works as designed.

His latest plan is to spend $18 million on a special election in September of this year just to redo the class size vote before the 2006 November general election. I guess he figures that the ultra low turnout in a single issue election will increase his odds, or, as his GOP cohort Jim King said,

voters may be confused because several other constitutional amendments are likely to appear on the ballot in 2006.

"How are going to decipher one from the other?" King asked. "How are you going to filter it?"

Why, citizens might even mistakenly vote against Jeb!’s cynical ploy to overturn their will.

Bush and his supporters say the state would save billions of dollars if voters agreed to relax standards for the popular class size constitutional amendment approved in 2002.

A bill in Bush's sweeping education package would approve a special election Sept. 6 asking voters to freeze the caps on class sizes to districtwide averages, the current standard.

State law requires tightening the standards to a schoolwide average by the 2006-07 school year. Critics have said Bush's less rigid proposal would allow districts to maintain overcrowded schools instead of being forced to lower class sizes at each school.

Bush has tied his proposal to a boost in teacher pay and would create a $35,000 starting salary requirement with the savings from not having to build schools or hire teachers needed for the stricter class size requirements.
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The bill faces some major obstacles.

A three-fourths vote by both chambers is required to hold a special election. This would be difficult in the Senate, where the 30 votes needed would have to include at least four Democrats.
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The looser standards could be a hard sell to voters, who passed the class size amendment by 52 percent. It would be especially unpopular in South Florida, where schools are the most crowded and starting teacher salaries are higher.
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"Teachers, by and large, are very, very uncomfortable boosting their salaries on the backs of students who might need individual attention," said Kevin Watson, a lobbyist for the Florida Education Association.

He said representatives from the association were still discussing possible alternatives with Bush that would be more palatable to teachers.

One suggestion King and other members of the Senate's Education Committee are exploring would keep the stricter class size requirements just for students in kindergarten through third grade.

"If you have to go to the general public anyway, why not go with something that would preserve the K-3 requirements?" King said. "We can afford it. We can't afford K-12."

King said he is still researching the potential cost of his proposal.

No compromises. The mostly powerless Dems can actually stop this nonsense right in its, uh, tracks.

Call. Write. Encourage the growth and strengthening of spine amongst state Democrats. Ask them to follow Les Miller’s lead.

”After years of Democratic calls to increase teacher pay, we’re heartened to hear that the governor has finally recognized that Florida’s teachers lag the national salary average and deserve an increase. However, we’re dismayed that he has chosen the class size amendment as the piggy bank to raid for the effort.

“Since its inception, Governor Bush has promised every calamity, every funding loss, and every dire consequence should the class size amendment become law. But by more than 2 million votes, in 2002 the people of Florida rejected his scare tactics and passed a constitutional amendment requiring smaller class sizes.

“Now, the governor is dangling the prospects of higher teacher salaries as the latest incentive to once again thwart the will of the voters. This is unconscionable.

“It’s time the governor abandoned his ‘devious plans,’ and got to work upholding his constitutional obligations.”

And encourage Les Miller, lest he back off.

Capitol Office: Room 228 Senate Office Building 404 South Monroe Street Tallahassee, FL 32399-1100 (850) 487-5059 SunCom 277-5059 FAX (888) 263-7871

Statewide:
1-866-254-6892

District Office:
2109 Palm Avenue,
Suite 302
Tampa FL 33605
P.O. Box 5993
Tampa, FL 33675-5993
(813) 272-2831
SunCom 512-3700
FAX (813) 272-2833

Legislative Assistants: Randolph Kinsey, Wanda Beckham and Michael Kinsey
Email: miller.lesley.web@flsenate.gov