Senator excited about veto
To the editor:
Our fight to stop the unconstitutional assault on Florida’s education system was a success. On Thursday, Governor Crist vetoed Senate Bill 6.
The legislation was not about reform.It was about punishment of teachers. It would have removed local control from our schools; would have diverted millions from our school budget and sent it to private testing companies; would have inflated the state education bureaucracy; and would have removed all incentives for our teachers to pursue additional training, certifications or advanced degrees.
The Governor’s veto will allow the state to measure the success of current reforms at play throughout our state. In Hillsborough County, for example, a Gates Foundation grant is being used for a pilot project for merit pay and other new accountability measures.
Everyone speaking up on this critical issue has gone a long way. I look forward to continuing our work together to improve public education in Florida.
Dave Aronberg
Florida State Senator