Students at Hialeah High School are going to bat for their teachers.
Senate Bill 6 threatens to drastically change the way teachers are compensated, and students don’t like it.
“A teacher's pay would be dependent on how well her students do,” said student Abel Iraola. “To be completely honest, not every student is a good student and teachers shouldn't suffer for that."
Yesterday the Florida Senate passed the Republican-sponsored measure, which in part ties teacher raises to students' test scores. Seniority, advanced degrees and other certifications would no longer determine teacher salaries.
Florida Governor Charlie Crist supports the measure, saying it pays better teachers more money. He has also said it just seems like the right thing to do.
Not so says Hialeah High teacher Krystal Player.
“The people in Tallahassee, they are not educators,” she said. “They were educators, but that was 30 years ago.”
Teachers unions all over the state are opposed to the bill. One of the concerns is that quality teachers would shy away from low performing schools, fearing a reduction in their salary.
Students at Hialeah High planned to walk out the front door of the school and stage their protest outside, but school officials squashed that idea. Students took their protest to the athletic field out back.
Senate Bill 6 now heads to the Florida House of Representatives, where debate could start as early as next week.
