How much is $7-billion to Florida schools?

It's the figure that has education lobbyists worked up into a tizzy. Under the proposed "super-homestead exemption," $7-billion for education would be stripped from the tax rolls over four years.

So what does this mean? Nothing, if you believe Republican leaders who have pledged to hold schools harmless. So far, they haven't produced any details as to how, and Democratic critics are lining up. Getting into the nitty gritty, the Legislature has run figures for how much would come off the tax rolls for schools in each county. Check them out here: Download Schools.pdf

Remember these numbers are likely high. They show what would happen if every homeowner who benefited took advantage of the new tax structure. The real figures would likely be less, because many would choose to stay with their existing Save Our Homes benefits. And while $7-billion sounds like a huge sum, it's worth considering that the class size amendment alone is costing about $3.4-billion in the coming year. Overall, Florida is spending more than $20-billion on schools.

One last caveat: A drop in taxes doesn't equal the cut in education money to your county. Florida has a complicated school finance system that equalizes spending across the state. Property rich counties aren't always the student rich counties, so their property tax dollars pay for schools around Florida.

Are you worried? Do you think the Legislature will hold true to its pledge to replace the money? Sound off, and let us know.

The numbers of the week are ...

... 124 and 2. That's the number of bills dealing with education that remain unresolved in the Florida Legislature, and the number of weeks left to either approve or forget them.

Some bills, such as the budgets, are certain to pass. Others have a less known fate. Will  charter school staff members be allowed to participate in the state retirement program known as DROP? Will a virtual high school for science and technology get to open in Brevard County? What's going to happen to the idea of a star rating system for prekindergarten providers? How about the governor's idea that all elementary students have 30 minutes of daily physical activity and education? Those are just a handful of the ideas still lingering, none of which offers a simple solution.

So then comes into play that second number, 2. Can lawmakers really give all these ideas the attention they deserve as they rush to the end of session - especially given that few of these topics are at the top of the collective agenda? If not, is it better for them to approve the concepts or let them die? What's a legislator to do with so many bills, so little time?

The number of the week is ...

... 1.5 percent. That's the percentage of high school boys who said they used steroids to enhance their athletic performance in 2005, down from 3.4 percent in 2000, according to a new state report. More, the availability of steroids is decreasing, the report states. Still, three Florida counties have begun steroid testing using federal grant money. And bills are moving through the House (HB 461) and Senate (SB 2200) that would require random testing for steroids. If they pass, the state would be in rare company. Right now, only New Jersey checks its high school athletes for steroid use. Is this a problem that needs a solution? Or would testing be an overreaction to a dwindling problem?

The number of the week is ...

... 1 percent. That's the percentage of teachers surveyed by the national nonprofit Teachers Network who say No Child Left Behind is an effective way to evaluate school quality. Just 3 percent said the federal act, now under review in Congress, encourages them to improve their teaching. 69 percent, meanwhile, said they feel the law - especially the Adequate Yearly Progress goals - leads to teacher burnout.

The group quoted NYU education professor Frances Rust as saying "it seems very clear that from the teachers' perspective, NCLB is a top down mandate about which they feel greatest pressure for their students to pass high-stakes tests coming from their district administrators. This deprofessionalizes the teaching force, pushing teachers towards rote instruction that bypasses curriculum areas that are not tested and minimizes teachers' efforts to be responsive to the specific needs of learners in their classrooms."

Florida's AYP results should be available in June. To read the full survey results, click here.

The number of the week is ...

... $800. That's the amount of buying power the average U.S. teacher lost between 2003 and 2005, according to the American Federation of Teachers.

In its 2005 annual salary survey, released last week, the union says that average teacher pay sank below that of the average government worker for the first time since 1982. Adjusted for inflation, the group reports, teachers lost ground. (Florida, by the way, logged in at the middle of the pack, with an average salary of $43,095.) Click here for the full report.

"It's fine to have discussions and hear proposals to improve education by raising the level of accountability for teachers. But these ideas are destined to fail if the basic pay inequities between teachers and other professions are not remedied," AFT president Edward J. McElroy said in a news release.

We hear a lot of debate about whether teachers are adequately paid. Discussions surrounding performance pay have centered on the issue, and the best way to address it. Meanwhile, Florida will need to hire about 22,000 more new teachers for next year alone. So what about it? Is that $800 real world dip acceptable? And with Florida facing a budget crunch, what, if anything, is the solution?

The number of the week is ...

... 27 percent. That's the percentage of Florida teachers surveyed by the Department of Education who say they're likely to quit the profession within the next five years. And they're not all retiring. Nearly half of the group (49 percent) blamed poor pay as the culprit, while one in five pointed to a lack of support from their school or district. To see the full results, click here.

This is the second report in recent weeks to look at teacher job satisfaction and come back with dim results. We reported on the first here. The responses have caused state Education officials to take a closer look at what they can do to keep teachers in Florida schools. (We sure need them, especially with the class-size amendment moving to the classroom level next year.) The State Board of Education heard two recommendations last week: Increase opportunties for raises, and create better methods to help new teachers at the school and district level. To review the DOE's full presentation to the State Board, click here.

So what about it? Teachers, are you happy and staying or peeved and leaving? Parents, what should we make of the fact that nearly one of every three teachers plans to stop teaching by 2012?

The number of the week is ...

... 1. As in, a single set of academic standards for all the nation's public schools.

Right now, every school district sets its own curriculum, every state has its own standards. Some make tough demands on students, while others have lower expectations. The result is a mixed bag, where families can't know if they move from school to school what they'll get. Algebra might be sixth-grade fare in one district but high school math in another. Even if they're taught at the same grade level, there's no promise that you'll get the same level of depth and rigor wherever you go.

The numbers bear this out. Almost all Mississippi fourth-graders, for instance, meet their state's reading demands but the vast majority fall woefully short when measured by on the National Assessment of Educational Progress. In Florida, by contrast, two-thirds of fourth-graders make the national mark, compared to 71 percent who are at grade level or above as determined by FCAT.

Noted education leaders Rudy Crew of Miami-Dade schools, Paul Vallas of Philadelphia schools and Michael Casserly of the Council of Great American Schools suggest in an Education Week column (registration required) that it's time to rethink the patchwork of standards and demands. They argue that international competition requires no less.

One? Or 50? How many sets of standards do we need?

The number of the week is ...

... $250. That's the amount of money a non-profit organization called the National Math and Science Initiative Inc. wants to give students and teachers at selected high schools who pass Advanced Placement tests. It's supposed to be an incentive to study hard and do well in school, the Washington Post reports. But will it work? Or does this initiative simply reinforce the notion that kids won't try unless there's a carrot dangling at the end of a stick? Some might argue that teens should try to do well on these and other exams because they want to get a good education that leads them to a prosperous future. Offering incentives, by that standpoint, simply cheapens the education. Would they try as hard if no one offered a reward? One can only hope so. More and more Floridians are taking AP tests and doing well, anyway. Makes you wonder what the $250 will accomplish.

The number of the week is ...

... 11,375. That's the number of non-licensed Florida drivers who received notice for the second quarter of the school year that they aren't eligible to get a license. Why? Too many missed school days. Florida law says that minor students who have more than 15 unexcused absences in a 90-day period are not eligible to apply for or receive a driver's license. The goal is to get kids to come to school, not to keep them from driving, state officials say. And, they say, it seems to be working. For 2004-05, only 4 percent of students who got one suspension notice actually got a second. To see how each county stacks up, click here. The five counties with the most student license suspensions in the latest quarter were Duval (338), Miami-Dade (275), Sarasota (205), Broward (203) and Polk (192).

The number of the week is ...

... 30. That's the number of minutes per day that Gov. Charlie Crist wants elementary school students to spend in physical education courses. Freshman Rep. Will Weatherford, a Wesley Chapel Republican, has filed a bill to accomplish that goal, though he says the current language probably will all be replaced. "My goal is to get basically 150 minutes of activity and education on wellness for our elementary school kids per week," Weatherford says.

You might be thinking, at what cost? With all the reading and math instruction the state already requires, and the decidedly academic focus on teaching the Sunshine State Standards, where is there room to put these classes? Many schools have given up recess as it is, and P.E. often comes as part of a weekly rotation of "specials" that include art and music.

"I know principals and teachers will be concerned because their days are packed already," Weatherford concedes, adding that he wants the law to be flexible enough that schools will not have to drop existing classes. But "most schools, I believe, have 30 minutes a day that they could take the time. If (children) are obese, or if they have health problems, they're not going to do well in the classroom."

The number of the week is...

... $1-billion.

The state teachers union is offering some ideas in writing for an alternative to the state's controversial performance-pay plan. But its starting point for discussion is boxed into a bigger, $1 billion pay proposal, with the lion's share of new money geared to an increase in base pay.

The Florida Education Association's "High Quality Compensation Plan is one of several expected to get a hearing this week before a key House education committee, which is considering how to amend Special Teachers Are Rewarded, the $147.5-million plan passed by the Legislature last year. The union agrees with more hard-core performance-pay supporters that "the quality of teaching is a key predictor of increased student achievement." But from there, its vision veers widely from the state plan.

It says performance should not be based primarily on student test scores. It says the extra money must be considered regular salary and not a bonus. And it says any new plan must be phased in to "allow the development, implementation, stability and support of a school climate that is receptive." It suggests $150 million for performance pay and $900 million in new money for base pay. Since that $900 million would go towards other school personnel as well, the FEA estimates the average teacher would see a 6-percent pay hike from state money alone.

- Ron Matus, state education reporter

The numbers of the week are ...

... 180 and 6.5.

Former Florida Gov. Bob Graham wants more civics taught in school. Gov. Charlie Crist wants more PE. Meanwhile, thousands of students are taking double-doses of basic math and reading because they're so far behind. Is there enough time to teach everything in 180 days, 6.5 hours a day?

Instructional time isn't much of an issue in Florida, but nationally there is a growing debate about whether the school day and the school year are long enough to meet demands for excellence and equity. Several new reports offer a fresh look at time and learning.

"The idea of expanding the time for learning as we raise standards and expectations for students deserves more attention in high school reform debates," writes the Center for American Progress, "especially for students in low-performing schools."

"Unless we profoundly change our thinking and policies about when, where and how children learn and develop, our steady progress as an economy and as a society will end," says the Time, Learning and Afterschool Task Force.

"The logic of time reform is simple – more time in school should result in more learning and better student performance," says Education Sector. "But this seemingly straightforward calculation is more complex than it appears."

- Ron Matus, state education reporter