Gov. Crist vetoes teacher tenure bill
TALLAHASSEE — After weeks of protest and a deluge of messages, Gov. Charlie Crist on Thursday vetoed a bill that would link teacher pay to student test scores and wipe out tenure for new teachers.
"I know in my heart it's the right thing to do,'' Crist said of his veto.
His decision, announced shortly after noon in a Capitol news conference, came as little surprise. Although Crist initially voiced support for the bill, he had distanced himself over the past week as protests mounted.
"I say we must start over,'' the governor said. "This bill has negatively affected the morale of our parents, teachers and students.''
Under the bill, half of a teacher's evaluation would depend on what kind of learning gains their students made. Those evaluations would determine their pay. New teachers would have been hired on annual contracts with no chance of tenure.
Within minutes of his announcement, the reactions began flowing in from both sides of the aisle.
"I'm disappointed that after sending his top policy staffer to the House Committee to testify in support of the proposal, Gov. Crist would change his mind and now veto the bill," House Majority Leader Adam Hasner, R-Delray Beach, said in a statement.
"It's something for teachers to be proud of," said Kim Black, president of the Pinellas Teachers Union. "Somebody is listening, despite what many people up there think."
Crist, a Republican, has been inundated with messages about the bill in recent weeks, receiving more than 109,000. Though about 49,000 were still unread, almost 58,000 of the messages that had been logged were against the bill.
Even former governor Jeb Bush, an ardent supporter of SB 6, left a voicemail.
"He encouraged me to sign the bill," Crist told the Associated Press. "Shocking. God bless