District Administration - October 2011 - (Page 88)

Changing of the Guard in Florida tight budgetary times. Where districts seek waivers, he adds, “we’ll take a look at those case by case.” Carvalho hopes to have ﬂexibility to deal with the issue, citing issues like when an AP physics program at one inner-city high school had more than 25 students sign up, but not enough to justify a second full-time teacher. “ at puts principals in a precarious situation,” he says. e district ultimately provided the additional students the opportunity to take the course online. Boyd says the legislature “woefully underfunded” the issue, allocating $80 million after the former commissioner recommended $350 million to hire enough personnel to deal with the smaller class sizes. “We struggled all year,” he says. “ en they had the audacity to ﬁne us for not meeting [the requirements], even though they didn’t fund it.” “ e Florida legislature is in a conundrum because they’re responsible for adequately funding public education, which they have not done for three decades,” adds Blocker, of Orange County schools. “ is is forcing them to at least make an admission that they’re not putting enough money on the table to hire teachers.” Race to the Top Federal Race to the Top money will help across the board as the state attempts to implement merit pay, longitudinal evaluation of students, and school choice in lower-performing districts. Robinson says he believes the state will spend its $350 million on supporting contracts to do all of the above; another $350 million is ﬂow- what we put in place.” Orange County will attempt to develop “a viable assessment instrument” to evaluate merit pay, he says. “Merit pay will not happen on its own,” adds Blocker. “ ere has to be sustainability once Race to the Top runs out. Dr. Robinson will have to use his bully pulpit and his political skills to keep the legislature doing what they’re doing.” Sustainability greatly concerns Montford. “We know there’s an end to that money,” Montford says. “And then the question becomes, what do you do? How “That’s going to be a huge priority for the commissioner into the forseeable future.” —Alberto Carvalho, superintendent, Miami-Dade County Public Schools ing directly to districts. at’s not to say the grant has eased everyone’s ﬁscal concerns. “It’s rare to hear any educator say we have enough money,” Robinson says. “I’m glad to be in a position to have [the federal grant].” With federal stimulus money running out, Race to the Top will provide “a booster shot that will get us through some initial things,” Blocker says. “ e burden will be on the Florida legislature to sustain a proven path to a Seton Hall University’s Executive Ed.D. • This nationally recognized doctoral program for practicing K-12 administrators has prepared over 450 education leaders representing 28 states and 6 countries. • Complete your studies in just two years, with 10 weekends and two summer sessions. • Now accepting applications for the April 2012 cohort. • Loans available to cover the entire cost of the program, regardless of financial need. central office position. “The knowledge and skills acquired at Seton Hall and the network of cohort colleagues were essential elements to my career advancement.” Jason E. Glass, Ed.D.’11 Iowa’s State Director (Commissioner) of Education 88 October 2011 • Start work on dissertation from day one. For more information, call 1-800-313-9833, email execedd@shu.edu, or go to www.shu.edu/go/excedd. can you adequately, even minimally, ﬁnance that kind of salary structure? Right now, we don’t have anyone who’s got a plan for that.” Volusia County is looking toward boosts to professional development and the science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) program, Smith says. But Race to the Top funds don’t cover all the costs, she adds. Boyd says that Alachua County will use its “drop in the bucket” of $4 million over the next four years to purchase new technology and implement merit pay. Miami-Dade County has received $73 million from Race to the Top that will help “dole out performance pay tied to student achievement,” Carvalho says. “We have tough times ahead from an economic perspective; we’re still reeling from the housing bust and depressed state revenues. at’s going to be a huge priority for this commissioner into the foreseeable future,” he says. “Funding levels are about where they were a decade ago, at a time when accountability requirements continue to increase.” Time will tell whether Robinson and district administrators around the state are able to stretch limited funds to keep class sizes where voters want them and to build on the state’s work in implementing school choice and merit pay for teachers— while successfully navigating the tropical storm of controversies swirling around all of the above. DA Ed Finkel is a freelance writer in Evanston, Ill. District Administration http://www.shu.edu/go/excedd http://www.shu.edu/go/excedd

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of District Administration - October 2011

District Administration - October 2011
Contents
From the Editor
Letters
News Update
Transportation Update
District Profile
Administrator Profile
Building a Blended Learning Program
How Are Science Fairs Fairing?
A New Age for Algebra
Early College High Schools
Changing of the Guard in Florida
CIO News
How Much Computing Power Do You Need?
An Unconventional Approach to 1:1
New Books
Problem/ Solution
Research Center
Product Focus
New Products
Professional Opinion
Going Mobile
Online Edge

District Administration - October 2011