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Education Cut Too Far, Crist Says

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By WILLIAM MARCH

wmarch@tampatrib.com

Published: January 14, 2009

TALLAHASSEE - Gov. Charlie Crist, who hinted at vetoing some education cuts intended to help balance the state budget, said Tuesday he's looking mainly at one comparatively small item: an $11 million cut in a teacher certification program.

The program provides teachers a 10 percent pay increase for 10 years if they achieve certification under a national program that identifies master teachers.

The Legislature, putting together a $2.6 billion package of spending cuts and trust fund raids to fill a budget deficit, cut more from education than Crist wanted. It cut about $466 million in kindergarten through 12th-grade education, instead of the $370 million he recommended.

On Tuesday, signaling his interest in preserving public education through a time of economic hardship, Crist met with two teachers union leaders: Andy Ford, president of the Florida Education Association, and Randi Weingarten of New York, president of the American Federation of Teachers.

The two are seeking to drum up support for a federal economic stimulus package, which they think could help avoid education cuts nationwide.

Weingarten said later that they discussed few specifics about the Florida education budget.

For a Republican governor to meet with teachers union leaders at all is a drastic change in Florida from the previous GOP administration of Gov. Jeb Bush, who considered the teachers union a political enemy. Crist, by contrast, met with Florida union leaders soon after taking office.

During his campaign, he promised merit raises of unprecedented size for teachers, up to 10 percent a year, and said he saw no reason why top public school teachers shouldn't make $100,000 a year or more.

That promise has remained unfulfilled, as Florida public schools are going through their second year in a row of budget cuts intended to help close budget deficits, and can expect more of the same next year.

Nevertheless, Weingarten, a longtime Democratic Party activist, said of Crist, "Based on our conversation today, he very much wants to be an ally of public education."

Ford said the two didn't bring up specific education cuts they wanted Crist to act on, but that the teacher certification program would be a op priorities: "It's a commitment that's already been made."

He said the $11 million cut would reduce the 10 percent bonuses to 8 percent.

The program, which formerly cost $102 million, originally offered 10 percent bonuses also to teachers who mentored other certification candidates, and made retirement plan contributions so the increased pay would be reflected in teachers' pensions.

Those have already been eliminated in previous budget-cutting that reduced the program's size to $55 million, said FEA lobbyist Marshall Ogletree.

Crist said he thinks he can veto the cut without having to find extra money to make up for it because the Legislature's budget-cutting package includes a cushion of about $300 million, intended to cover the gap if future tax collections are lower than projected.

Asked how far into that $300 million he'd be willing to go by vetoing spending cuts, he said, "Not too far. I think it was prudent for them to do that."

Reporter William March can be reached at (813) 259-7761 or wmarch@tampatrib.com

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