The state has officially removed the discriminatory testing requirements from the scholarship program. This shift ensures that our educators are recognized for their classroom performance rather than outdated examination scores. Thank you for staying committed to this effort until the policy finally reflected the values of our profession.
March 5, 2017
Final supporters
ISSUE 1 - Discrimination against teachers blocks access to bonus of up to $10,000
The state of Florida created the Best and Brightest Scholarship Program (F.S. 1012.731) to attract and retain high academic achievers in the teaching profession. They have set aside over 44 million dollars for the bonuses. This is a State funded program, with the District determining qualified recipients based on requirements defined by the statute. Criteria #3 below discriminates against teachers by country of high school education. This statute has excluded well deserving teachers who have earned ratings of Highly Effective but, for various reasons, do not have SAT scores.
How to Qualify
1) You must be a classroom teacher as defined by Florida Statute 1012.01(2)(a).
2) You must have received a Final Summative evaluation rating of Highly Effective.
3) You must have a qualifying ACT or SAT score based on the National Percentile Rank in effect when the assessment was taken.
ISSUE 2 - No compensation for advances degrees
The state of Florida introduced Bill 736 which states that "Beginning with instructional personnel hired on or after July 1, 2011, a district school board may
not use advanced degrees in setting the salary schedule unless the advanced degree is held in the
individual’s areas of certification." Besides content area knowledge, a teacher needs multiple skills to be successful in the classroom. Many teachers have pursued studies in education-related disciplines such as Educational Technology and Educational Leadership that are not considered content-specific degrees. It is unfair for their Master's degrees not to be recognized as valuable enough for compensation.
Please sign this petition in support of the brightest teachers across Florida!
As teachers we must unite and say enough is enough!!! We work hard at educating ourselves and providing best practices to ensure students meet rigorous academic demands. We are already underpaid for the job we do. It is about time we are paid for advanced degrees and for high success rates at educating our students.
Updates
January 24, 2017
The stories shared in the comments section reveal a deep frustration regarding how we value professional expertise in the classroom. I am currently reaching out to policy experts to better understand the administrative path for these specific criteria. We are building a clear picture of how these policies affect the teachers who serve our students every day.
January 24, 2017
Reaching this level of engagement confirms that many of you recognize the unfairness embedded within these current scholarship requirements. It is encouraging to see this conversation grow as more people learn about the obstacles facing our dedicated educators.
Reached 100 supporters
January 24, 2017
24 Comments
Stop discriminating and pay the teachers. Many teachers went to school outside of the country but are working diligently.
I was grandfathered in to Master's pay, but can't imagine going through all that for a line on my resume.
There are highly qualified, deserving individuals that will be unfairly disqualified if changes aren't made. We will surely lose some great talent if this continues.
Teachers are like parents to our children when they are not at home so they deserve better wages.
It's a pity and a disgrace that our teachers who have/are educating our leaders are treated with disdain, indifference, hatred, and maligned by our elected officials. How on God's earth these people sleep at nights? Unconscionable, heartless, and wicked people are political misleaders who have/are enriched themselves and cronies at the expense of the poor teachers. How long will these wolves in sheep clothing keep getting elected? Where are the decent, honest, and respectful political leaders willing to take on these unconscionable, wicked, and evil politicians? Our teachers deserve to be paid more than our greedy bought and owned political misleaders.
Everybody comes through a teacher.
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The state has officially removed the discriminatory testing requirements from the scholarship program. This shift ensures that our educators are recognized for their classroom performance rather than outdated examination scores. Thank you for staying committed to this effort until the policy finally reflected the values of our profession.
March 5, 2017
Final supporters
ISSUE 1 - Discrimination against teachers blocks access to bonus of up to $10,000
The state of Florida created the Best and Brightest Scholarship Program (F.S. 1012.731) to attract and retain high academic achievers in the teaching profession. They have set aside over 44 million dollars for the bonuses. This is a State funded program, with the District determining qualified recipients based on requirements defined by the statute. Criteria #3 below discriminates against teachers by country of high school education. This statute has excluded well deserving teachers who have earned ratings of Highly Effective but, for various reasons, do not have SAT scores.
How to Qualify
1) You must be a classroom teacher as defined by Florida Statute 1012.01(2)(a).
2) You must have received a Final Summative evaluation rating of Highly Effective.
3) You must have a qualifying ACT or SAT score based on the National Percentile Rank in effect when the assessment was taken.
ISSUE 2 - No compensation for advances degrees
The state of Florida introduced Bill 736 which states that "Beginning with instructional personnel hired on or after July 1, 2011, a district school board may
not use advanced degrees in setting the salary schedule unless the advanced degree is held in the
individual’s areas of certification." Besides content area knowledge, a teacher needs multiple skills to be successful in the classroom. Many teachers have pursued studies in education-related disciplines such as Educational Technology and Educational Leadership that are not considered content-specific degrees. It is unfair for their Master's degrees not to be recognized as valuable enough for compensation.
Please sign this petition in support of the brightest teachers across Florida!
As teachers we must unite and say enough is enough!!! We work hard at educating ourselves and providing best practices to ensure students meet rigorous academic demands. We are already underpaid for the job we do. It is about time we are paid for advanced degrees and for high success rates at educating our students.
Updates
January 24, 2017
The stories shared in the comments section reveal a deep frustration regarding how we value professional expertise in the classroom. I am currently reaching out to policy experts to better understand the administrative path for these specific criteria. We are building a clear picture of how these policies affect the teachers who serve our students every day.
January 24, 2017
Reaching this level of engagement confirms that many of you recognize the unfairness embedded within these current scholarship requirements. It is encouraging to see this conversation grow as more people learn about the obstacles facing our dedicated educators.
Reached 100 supporters
January 24, 2017
24 Comments
Regardless of where you were schooled, from once you are delivering the curriculum and maintaining a high standard you should be compensated fairly. No discrimination.
Stop discriminating and pay the teachers. Many teachers went to school outside of the country but are working diligently.
I was grandfathered in to Master's pay, but can't imagine going through all that for a line on my resume.
There are highly qualified, deserving individuals that will be unfairly disqualified if changes aren't made. We will surely lose some great talent if this continues.
Teachers are like parents to our children when they are not at home so they deserve better wages.
It's a pity and a disgrace that our teachers who have/are educating our leaders are treated with disdain, indifference, hatred, and maligned by our elected officials. How on God's earth these people sleep at nights? Unconscionable, heartless, and wicked people are political misleaders who have/are enriched themselves and cronies at the expense of the poor teachers. How long will these wolves in sheep clothing keep getting elected? Where are the decent, honest, and respectful political leaders willing to take on these unconscionable, wicked, and evil politicians? Our teachers deserve to be paid more than our greedy bought and owned political misleaders.
Everybody comes through a teacher.
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Regardless of where you were schooled, from once you are delivering the curriculum and maintaining a high standard you should be compensated fairly. No discrimination.