Dear Governor Crist

Dear Governor Crist,


Over the past few months, I have written several letters to your colleagues in both the State Senate and the State House regarding SB6/HB7189. I have spelled out for them the legitimate reasons as to why so many teachers are opposed to this bill. I have stated both fact and opinion, and in return I have received computer generated responses and form letters from assistants. I do not believe that a single legislator actually read a single letter. So it was no surprise when SB6 flew through committee and a floor vote straight down party lines. It was also expected when HB7189 rolled right through its committee reading on party lines as well. And unfortunately, I fully expect the same thing to happen in the House floor vote later on today. Contrary to their job descriptions, your colleagues are voting for the party, not the people.

With this realization comes a sadness in my heart. See, I am one of those true believers who still carries a element of naiveté in my thoughts about America. I still believe in government of the people, by the people, and for the people. I still believe that most elected officials want what is best for the people they represent—that regardless of what end of the political spectrum they lean to, they remember the one constant that is affected by every decision and every vote they make…the people. And I don’t think that the people want this bill.

This is a bad piece of legislation. It is un-researched and vague even in its most basic elements—criteria, funding, and necessity. What’s worse is that it was not asked for. Who were the constituents that plead with Senator Thrasher to create a bill that would essentially kill public schools in the state of Florida? Which voters wrote to his office and insisted that a law be written that experience and higher education be eliminated from a teacher’s resume? What citizen asked the senator to remove the funding of the National Board program—a program that guarantees that Florida retains the highly qualified teachers that his own party’s NCLB law mandates? So I ask you, Governor Crist, is this a people bill, or a party bill?

As a teacher, I understand that there are glaring areas in public education that need to be addressed. I agree that there are teachers in schools who need to be removed but are protected by continuing contracts—and yes, that needs to be addressed. But I also understand the outlying factors in public education that are well beyond the four walls of a classroom. I understand that home life and support varies from student to student and that the playing field is not level (not even close). I understand that state budget cuts have left schools woefully understaffed and classrooms neglectfully unsupplied. I understand that I am forced to teach with ten year old textbooks because the state decided not to adopt new ones this year. I understand that I am given a curriculum that I must follow even though it does not utilize the methods of teaching that I feel will reach the students in a more effective manner. I understand that these things are out of my control…and I understand that the representatives in Tallahassee don’t care.

As a parent of two students in the public school system, I fear that this bill will turn my local elementary school into a test preparation center. I fear the removal of the arts (which is happening in my district as I write this letter) from the elementary curriculum, and with it, a removal of the emotional side of education—the education of the whole child. I fear that what remains of vocational education in the middle and high schools will all but disappear and that my daughters will not have the experiences of real world education that I received as a student in the same public schools. I fear that my daughters will believe that education is merely about a test, and worst of all, that their current love for school will quickly dissipate.

Governor Crist, as Attorney General you stood up against your own party to ensure that the will of the people was acknowledged in the Terry Schiavo case. As Governor, you broke with party policy on economic and environmental issues because it was right and it was what the people wanted. And as a former Education Commissioner, you must realize the negative impact that HB7189 will have on the students and teachers in Florida. This is not the next step forward in education; it is a giant leap back.

I have no doubt that HB7189 will shortly arrive on your desk and await your signature. And I have no doubt that the pressure placed on you from your own party to sign the bill will be immense. But I do not see this as a dark political time for you, but rather as an opportunity for you to once again let the citizens of Florida know that you are standing up for them and not a political party. Though it sounds overly dramatic, it is true when I say that the future of education in this state lies at your fingertips. This bill is wrong, and I think, deep down, you know it. Veto HB7189 and send a reminder to the rest of Tallahassee that they are there to serve the wishes of the people, not the party.