Class-size proposal gets one more chance

A proposal to scale back the 2002 class-size amendment to school-wide averages, rather than classroom counts, almost died Monday at the Florida Taxation and Budget Reform meeting.

Almost.

Facing certain defeat with a 15-10 vote against putting the amendment to the amendment before voters in November, the concept got new life when former state Senate president Jim Scott changed his position at the last minute. Smith's move was tactical, the AP reports, in hopes of finding a compromise that all might accept.

The decision got pushed off to March 26.

The idea before the commission is nothing new. Lawmakers have tried unsuccessfully to do it since 2003. That's what prompted sponsor Roberto Martinez, a member of the State Board of Education, to push it in the commission, which needs only 17 votes to put an issue on the ballot (compared to majorities in the House and Senate).

"There is no way one can change the constitution through legislation," said Martinez, a Miami lawyer. "It just cannot be done."

Many education groups support the proposal, saying they need to have flexibility in implementing the class sizes that voters approved. "What we have is a good amendment, but it just needs adjustment," Bill Montford, executive director of the Florida Association of District Schools Superintendents, told the Tallahassee Democrat.

One possible flaw in the argument: Voters really like the class-size amendment. A St. Petersburg Times February poll of 702 registered voters showed 74 percent favored the mandate, and just 30 percent supported changing from classroom counts to school-wide averages, with 51 percent unsure. (More on that here.)

Just in case, lawmakers continue to move ahead with a statutory "fix" that would allow schools some wiggle room if the dreaded "19th student" arrives at their doors.

Comments

[John]

It is paramount to the very existence of citizens in the great state of Florida that we all have representation in matters of governance. In order to accomplish this I porpose the following resolution: All politicians will allow audience of their constiuents, no more than 30 at a time no fewer than 25 at a time. Allowing each of the petitioners to address whatever they want to at the same time and we will expect the politicians to respond to all of the petitioners at the same time. If this does not happen the educators will take over the Legislature and by commitee decide how to run the government in Florida.