2012 Florida
Legislative
Session
Possible Attacks
to
Higher Education
2011 Legislative Session
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•
•
•
Paycheck Protection - Union “gag” bill
Automatic Decertification
Higher Education Reform (Tenure)
Changes to retirement system
Paycheck Protection
Union “gag” bill
2011
• Florida House
– Prohibited payroll deduction for unions…
– And ONLY for unions
• Stopped from being heard in the Senate
– Through the efforts of UFMDC, UFF, and other
unions
Union Decertification Bill
2011
• If a public-employees’ union had less than
50% membership, the union would be
decertified
• Collective Bargain Agreement would no longer
be in effect
• This motivated locals with low union
membership to increase membership
significantly
Higher Education Reform (Tenure)
2011
• Florida House Committee Bill
– Appeared halfway through session
– Eliminated continuing contract for college faculty
– Eliminated tenure for university faculty
– Strong opposition from UFMDC and UFF
– Community College Presidents on record NOT in
favor
– Bill was withdrawn within a week
Changes to Retirement System
2011
• Florida House
– 5% employee contribution
– Elimination of DROP
– Changes for new employees
• Florida Senate
– % contribution based on salary
– Cost of Living Adjustments (COLA) eliminated
– Changes for new Employees
Final Changes to Retirement System
2011
•
•
•
•
3% employee contribution
Defined benefit plan saved
COLA accruals stopped for next 5 years
DROP saved, but interest reduced from 6.5% to
1.3%
• For new employees
– Eight-year average salary for calculations – instead of
5 years (lowers benefits)
– Retirement age increased
Legislative Session
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•
•
•
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Union “gag” bill?
Union decertification bill?
Changes to retirement system?
Higher Education Reform (Texas Plan)?
Funding? $1.5B shortfall expected
Changes to Retirement System
2012
• Will employee contribution increase to 5%?
• Will the Defined benefit plan be eliminated?
• Will DROP be on the table again?
Texas Plan
7 Solutions
1. Measure teaching efficiency and
effectiveness.
2. Publicly recognize and reward extraordinary
teachers.
3. Split research and teaching budgets to
encourage excellence in both.
4. Require evidence of teaching skill for tenure.
Texas Plan
7 Solutions
5. Use “results-based” contracts with students
to measure quality.
6. Put state funding directly in the hands of
students.
7. Create results-based accrediting alternatives.
2. Publicly recognize and reward
extraordinary teachers.
• Up to 25% faculty receives bonus based on:
– quality of teaching
– # of students taught
• “Easy to implement”
– Teachers of classes ranked in top 25% receive
awards (up to $10,000 per course per semester)
2. Publicly recognize and reward
extraordinary teachers.
• Factors that affect student ratings
Instructor
Gender *
Ethnicity
Years of Teaching
Experience
Expressiveness *
Course
Academic Field *
Required/Elective
Level – Freshman to
Senior
Difficulty *
Enthusiasm
Class Size *
Communication
Ability
Time of day
*These factors have been shown to bias ratings.
Student
Gender
Ethnicity
Age
Achievement/Expect
ed Grade *
Prior Interest in
Subject
Attitudes
And what does student satisfaction
have to do with LEARNING?
• 2010 Study at the US Air Force Academy
– First semester freshmen
– Required Calculus I course
– Instructors randomly assigned
– Identical syllabus
– Identical exams
• Ratings were compared to performance in
follow-on classes
And what does student satisfaction
have to do with LEARNING?
• Less experienced, less qualified professors had
students who performed better in the
Calculus I course AND rated professors more
favorably
• More experienced, highly qualified professors
produced students who performed better in
follow-on courses, EVEN after receiving lower
grades in Calculus I
And what does student satisfaction
have to do with LEARNING?
• “…our results show that student evaluations
reward professors who increase achievement
in the contemporaneous course being taught,
not those who increase deep learning.”
• Carrell, S. E. & West, J.E. (2010). Does Professor Quality Matter? Evidence
from Random Assignment of Students to Professors. Journal of Political
Economy, 118(5) (pp. 409-432)
http://www.econ.ucdavis.edu/faculty/scarrell/profqual2.pdf
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tHvY_3rD8
uk&feature=youtu.be
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tHvY_3rD8uk&feature=youtu.be
• “building a world class education system”
• “continued improvement for K-12 and higher
education institutions”
• rick.scott@eog.myflorida.com
• http://www.flgov.com/
Governor Rick