Scott stresses opportunities after signing bill ending tenure

Supporters of teachers and state pensions lined up outside Pepin Academy on Thursday for the second stop in a daylong Tampa visit by Florida Gov. Rick Scott.

Beth Roach carried a sign that read, "Pay Teachers, Not Testing Companies," a reference to a bill Scott signed earlier in the day that eliminates tenure for public school teachers and ties their jobs and pay to student performance as measured by test scores.

Inside the school, Scott, dressed in a navy blue suit with black boots, told students and staff he was pleased to be back at the academy for a second visit.

The governor first came to Pepin, a public charter school for kindergarten through high school, in September during his campaign.

"This is clearly a school that puts students first,'' he said.

He talked about opportunities - from his starting school while living in public housing to owning a company to becoming governor.

"If you don't get a great education, it's going to be very difficult to get a great job,'' he told the audience.

The signing of his first bill into law today also would become an opportunity, he said, not only for students to get a better education, but for educators as well.

The Teacher Quality Bill, also known as Senate Bill 736, ends certain job protections for teachers known as tenure and ties their pay to student achievement.

The controversial measure will enable principals and superintendents to choose the most effective teachers, Scott said.

It also will allow those teachers to be paid what they're worth, he said.

Scott started his visit to Tampa with a brief speech during a noon luncheon of the Gulf Ridge Council of the Boy Scouts of America, at the Hyatt Regency downtown.

Scott was also scheduled to attend an economic development meeting downtown later this afternoon.

"Scouting was great for me," said Scott, an Eagle Scout who earned 33 merit badges. "It clearly did help in my run."

The governor told the group education and job creation were his two top priorities as governor.

He said 1.1 million Floridians are out of work.

"That's a real problem," Scott said.

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