2012 Legislative Session Legislative Update February 15, 2012
2012 Florida Legislative Session
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Transcript of 2012 Florida Legislative Session
2012 Florida Legislative
Session
Possible Attacks to Higher Education
2011 Legislative Session
• Paycheck Protection - Union “gag” bill• Automatic Decertification• Higher Education Reform (Tenure)• Changes to retirement system
Paycheck ProtectionUnion “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 Bill2011
• 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favor– Bill was withdrawn within a week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 System2011
• 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 System2011
• 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
• Union “gag” bill?• Union decertification bill?• Changes to retirement system?• Higher Education Reform (Texas Plan)?• Funding? $1.5B shortfall expected
Changes to Retirement System2012
• Will employee contribution increase to 5%? • Will the Defined benefit plan be eliminated?• Will DROP be on the table again?
Texas Plan7 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 Plan7 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 ratingsInstructor Course StudentGender * Academic Field * GenderEthnicity Required/Elective EthnicityYears of Teaching Experience
Level – Freshman to Senior
Age
Expressiveness * Difficulty * Achievement/Expected Grade *
Enthusiasm Class Size * Prior Interest in Subject
Communication Ability
Time of day Attitudes
*These factors have been shown to bias ratings.
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_3rD8uk&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”• [email protected]• http://www.flgov.com/
Governor Rick