Legislative Leaders Want to End Professional Service Contracts for Current First, Second and Possibly Third Year

Teachers
CS/HB 7087/7091 aims to eliminate the language in SB 736 that would allow current first, second and maybe third year teachers to be eligible for Professional Services Contracts. CS/HB 7087/7091 answers one of the questions asked about 736. During discussions about this bill, the Florida Education Association was led to believe that any current first through third year teacher who completed their three years of annual contracts favorably would still be eligible for a Professional Services Contract. This new legislation ends that speculation by eliminating the language that would allow a teacher in the pipeline to be eligible for a Professional Services Contract. This bill is speeding through the Legislature and a final vote could come as early as Wednesday, March 30. CS/HB 7087/7091:

Pulls the rug out from under current first, second and maybe third year teachers who believed they would get Professional Services Contracts for favorably completing their years of annual contracts and denies them due process. Breaks the promise given to teachers when they were hired.

Effective immediately upon becoming law, the bill:

1. Prevents current first, second and maybe third year teachers from obtaining Professional
Services Contracts. Since the bill becomes law immediately upon being signed by the governor, current third-year teachers will likely also be denied Professional Services Contracts.

2. The bill repeals programs that were never implemented or are no longer funded
including the Digital Divide Council and the associated Pilot Project for Discounted Computers and Internet Access for Low-Income Students; the Community and Library Technology Access Partnership; Adult Literacy Centers; Preteacher and Teacher Education Pilot programs, the Teacher Education Pilot Programs for High-Achieving Students; the Merit Award Program; the Critical Teacher Shortage Program, which includes: the Florida Teacher Scholarship and Forgivable Loan Program, the Critical Teacher Shortage Tuition Reimbursement Program, and the Critical Teacher Shortage Student Loan Forgiveness Program.

3. The bill repeals the requirement for students who took Algebra I in the middle
grades from 2007-2008 through 2009-2010 to take the Algebra I end-of-course assessment in the 2010-2011 school year.

Contact members of the Florida House of Representatives now and tell them to vote NO on CS/HB 7087/7091! See attached spread sheet for full House of Representatives Contact Information or click here to find your legislator: http://www.myfloridahouse.gov/