Jeb Bush: Education Bill Press Conference at USF

There you

are. Good morning. I'm Frank Brogan the lieutenant governor and it's good to be back on the campus of University of South Florida and it's good to be back in this room. This was the room where not long ago I had the pleasure and honor of introducing for the first time the new members of the board of trustees for the University of South Florida. So President again Chief thank you to you and yours for hosting us again here. And not to be missed is the shameless promotional opportunity

provided with the University of South Florida pen that I'll be using during this commemorative. The governor will not be signing the bill with the USF pen but it will find a place of honor in our offices in Tallahassee Florida. Thank you very much President Ghanchakkar. We are truly delighted to be here today. We were talking a little bit during the prebreathe when you say to the average person that we are here today to celebrate the rewrite of the Florida Education Code. You get understandably somewhat a glazed expression. So it is important to understand the importance of what we do today and more than just what we do here today the fact that it Coleman ates a year's effort on behalf of so many people statewide who we are representing today people who are principals and superintendents people who are university presidents members of boards of trust the faculty members people who are parents business representatives members of the legislature. Their staff are incredible numbers of people who

contributed to that. You know what was Watts five thousand pages of Sachi covering all educational issues K through 12 community college university workforce all of the efforts that go into education and that information is important. It is important for the people who are practitioners the school principal who needs to find important information and find it. And understandably these school superintendent school board members teachers need to know information relative to what they are doing on their campus. And so this year and he's call it Asian give us a sign and the loss is enormously important for all. Education is streamlines. It creates a user friendly document. It brings the 21st century compliance with our governance structure. It provides precedent out of local control and flexibility at all levels of education and it

is a very important document to those who the education I would like to now bring to the podium and champion this cause man believes in strong accountability. He also believes that the people at the local level or in the best position with the university community college or school level to make the day to day operations decisions that affect those whom they love and every day the governor of the state of Florida dressed appropriately. He's really bright yellow. I guess this is good is it is a joy to be on this campus to hold a lot of

hard work. I love the magic word. Well the challenge is to stay spread out all across many different parts of the statutes of Florida. Some 5000 pages of laws some of them were passed rules were created in 1930 in 1941. It was the last year that there was a revamping of the school code to take all this and consolidated down to 17 176 pages which is all right. We've seen some pretty good year. And then to put it in English and to project out into the future in our system of education should look like that was the challenge that he had for the legislature and a whole lot of people in this room began. I want to thank everybody that spent time in committees listening making suggestions teachers presidents and

universities people in the media K through 12 or our system administrators. Everybody did what they could. And then the legislature took over did a great job we had a couple of photos on the two yard line which is only evidence that unless the process is not a perfect one Democracy is not a perfect system it is better and all other alternatives are figured out. And so that they were one of the scientists in the law. I'm very excited about it. It allows for what happened at the Board of Education yesterday happen more often. Yesterday was four years. Yes. They work. And they they had a very great way. I think they painted a good picture of what this school could rewrite our system of governance changes. Name it will for example if it's you and you pull up your calls and work together to provide for the chance for people and others are part of our say in northwest Florida be able to get degrees that will add meaning and

value to the lives of people that want to go back to school. It will allow Miami-Dade Community College in Miami to have four year pass more degrees for under-served portions of the teaching profession where we desperately need help. And it will address the cost of work with the university and for Gulf Coast University to create opportunities again for this type of collaboration whether it's between high schools and community colleges or universities and high schools like like is existing today with of South Florida working with the urban or high schools of Hillsborough County to be able to attract aspiring students and make sure they get the skills to get a four year degree. All of this will be made easier because of what we're doing today. In addition to that the law changed starting today to say that we will not have the same degree of tolerance that we had about children

not not achieving at the levels we expect when 30 percent of our kids in fourth grade are reading as Level 1 which is below basic level. That's not acceptable of course. And we're going to have flexibility for local school districts to make sure that it's not the only means to measure student performance but when 3 percent of the kids are retained and 30 percent of the kids are at level 1 that's not acceptable. And this law will change that we are sure that we stop what we do we remediate before it is too late during the school year and be sure that get a year's worth of knowledge. Your son your son earlier Thank you for your presence here because of our and your fellow subversiveness are well I visited schools and there is a lot of work that's going on in education today that was at school this morning I was channel 13 a couple days ago and that is from the media last

week is that there were over 30 get a tour and we were hanging out and having fun and they invited me over to the media center and I got a chance to be a teacher and two kids one of which is from Bosnia and the other was from Mexico two years ago one of the C word English and today they write great love. And the reason is they got great teachers at the school. He's all right know they've got great teachers but they also have a sense that they have died from the get go. And he that for each and every week and the kids are part of the system they know where their deficiencies are and they're proud of the genius and the growth that they have and their parents are all. And he's going to use his feet is a word of it is now a great love. Well that's the model that this bill I think will help us going forward.

It is true autonomy and power to universities the boards of trustees of the presidents to be able to shape the future of their universities. I'm really excited that we're on the right path and the naysayers may say we are on the right path and this is a vision of the sealed system that moves us to a place where we move to students. Education is the right way to go. This bill will allow it to happen. I thank everybody for their hard work particularly Senator Rubio's Serzone representative Melvin and. Actually are all the others that worked very hard on this. It was not an easy process and I'm proud to say that it's their work off and I'll be able to sign this bill into law. Thank you. Two gentlemen who have helped to oversee the complete rewrite of the

floor code. Every step of the way and being deeply involved all the way through up to and including the actual bill signed today that work together in law one is respect your role as more of a measure of education. The other as our new secretary of education for the state of Florida and they have as an aside and do a great job working the transition system to the new system but the governor just outlined in terms of our governance structure in the state of Florida for education they are also friends and that makes it considerably easier as well. I would like to get to the podium these two gentlemen. First of all Secretary if you are more all about mission or education first every day is a very special day. Day. We undertook is back in the White House and little doubts that we will be able to solve the nations of

Educations that's never been done before. America 1941. That was not complete. That means rewriting certain ages at that time. So we decided that we would take this great nation and then we would set a date of December and we begin the root of all the stakeholders. We wanted to do every table we started down this path and complete that project and take 19 chapters into 14 a substantial reduction of just the sheer volume of statutes. And so it was a very difficult task but we did reach consensus very few issues really truly were bumped up to the state board level. We decided it at our level but it was a lot of hard work. We were very proud of the outcome and ended it off to the legislature and that carried forward. And so it is a really historic day to see this kind of effort come to fruition. Quite honestly Ford now has the most modern school coach in the country and we're very proud of that. Once again I think Florida is taking its proper place in leading the

nation. Also I have with me today a couple of our board members have traveled from their respective homes to be part of this occasion. Carol Roberts is with us here. Dr. Bill proper and our chairman Bill Haney is on his way. I think he's stopping the app for traffic which. I think you would all understand what that is all about. But it is a very special day. Towards the end of this process we had over 200 people who spent an entire week in proving the technical pieces of this bill. And you can understand. Seventeen hundred seventy six pages is pretty thick. And there's a lot in there some technical some of substance. But it is truly a remarkable piece of work. Quite honestly I'm not sure in government and we've ever seen this kind of undertaking this level of involvement in this type of consensus prior. I believe it is more the way government ought to operate and we're very proud of it. We hope that it does become Papo which you pass these kinds of

companies pieces of legislation banky. There's no question this is an historic day for education reform in Florida. And I applaud Bush for his leadership an awful lot of people really are making this happen as members of the legislature will dedicate to you Secretary and my partner people in the university system Community College K through 12 but without the courageous leadership of Governor Bush making sure that we stay on task making sure that this actually came to fruition that these kinds of reforms that are in the best interest of our children we would not be here today we would not have this celebration that we're so proud of we would not be doing the kinds of things that are setting a path and education for America. And so Governor Bush congratulations to you on behalf of the children of this great state because that's what this is truly all about. It's all for our children and it's all for their future. Thank you very much. Thank you sir.

Thank you gentlemen. The governor did somewhat of a quorum call relative to the House and Senate. And I mention that because this indeed was important and initiated when I was commissioner of education. We had to have some other rewrite. And I've got to tell you early on we met Florida wall of resistance. I have always believed that it is much easier to put a law on the books than it is to try to get one off. And so when we initiated this endeavor we were so pleased that we were embraced by the members of the House and Senate both sides of the aisle by the way on this issue. They recognized that it was times the government should since 1941 to fund the overhaul and bring it to the 21st century compliance Florida Code on education. But we have some champions in that regard as well. People got to know that Bill all thousand pages of it and therefore then got to know the 17:00 in 76 that we proper in its final form in

their absence we would be remiss if we did not like the two prime sponsors Senator via Lobos in the Florida Senate and Representative John Melvin in the House of Representatives but also as the governor mentioned we had numerous units in both chambers. With us today we have Representative Waters represented little representative mermen Representative Baxley and with us to speak on behalf of the Florida legislature. And appropriately so as she is an educator by trade. We have a person who really was a stalwart in the effort to make sure that this seventy hundred seventy six pages was passed into law. We have with us today. No thank you Representative for being with us. Thank you very much. What is what you said over and over 200 people that get together universities the community colleges the individual schools whether it be the superintendents the school board

Association the homeschoolers or the private schools they all got to do that. It was on the issue of the children. What was needed to improve education for the public schools it was flexibility to make sure that we had money that they were able to spend the money that they needed. And the way for their local communities. And that is in this bill as Governor Bush said it was also social promotion was no longer going to be acceptable that the children had to learn how to read and be graded so that fourth grade. We now have a cut off point for those children. These are important issues to make sure everyone moved ahead in a positive way. And your legislator had as you saw battle back and forth what was the best way to do it through the leadership of the governor the lieutenant governor the Senate and the house. You have one of the best bills been provided education in over 40 years with that it was because of the people the people of all the groups many of you out there and

behind me that came together and worked as a team. We all knew that we had issues. We put everything on the table. It was never to be a children's first. That made this bill the first of its kind. And that's. And I think all of you for all your efforts along with the leadership of our governor and the legislature. Already thank President again Chief and the members of her board of trustees the incredible faculty and staff of the University of South Florida for hosting us today. We'd like to bring her to the podium as a practitioner and a person who will now utilize what is available to her and this institution within that 17 276 pages is one of the best I think impact players that we have in the states post-secondary system. Sports analogies aside it is true that if a sports team brings in a player who begins to make a

significant contribution from the day they arrive they are Bubbe an impact player. I think President Judy NGF is indeed in our state university system an impact player of serious proportion and we are delighted to have her and welcome Madam President. Well I just want to welcome everybody to the University of South Florida for the opportunity to sign this landmark legislation. And it's such a treat to have everybody here. We we believe this is the best place to be and at UCSF we are an example of seeing us education because we're one of the first universities to have a charter school on our campus which is a K through to charter school. Then we have a Hillsborough public school

our campus. So charter never to peace a school. We have the largest college of education in this state and we produce more teachers than any other college in this state. We have partnerships with so many different groups and agencies and schools it's just hard to imagine them. And we work very closely with our community college colleagues and some of whom are here today. So we are very excited about this legislation being signed here. And of course we are a metropolitan research university which means that we are out with the children in the cities in the urban areas trying to make a difference for everybody to unlock that key to the learning opportunities that each child has. So our our vision for this is firmly rooted in the best service for all children.

And with this new law it is. It helps us so much it ensures that institutional boards and their chief executive officers have the responsibility and they have the authority to move the institutions forward to make it better and better for all students and all children at USF. We have a great saying this says great achievements great expectations. And you have clearly given us the opportunity to expect greatness from us and you're creating that path with this let legislation for new achievements and great achievements. So I just want to thank you very very much for being here and for this legislation. It makes a real difference to all universities and to speak on behalf of the presidents of universities across the state. We are so happy to have

this legislation signed. Thank you very very much. As you mentioned we have in this room the announcement of the board of trustees for USF and I'm pleased to say that our majority of board members are here. And I'd like them to stand. I trust the law. Arnold Sullivan staffers from Mill prison for Burton and our campus board member Jeff unit and also the leader of the pack is our trusty Dick beard who will say a few words thank you. It's to be here. We're just so pleased and proud that you are to us to us this historic bill. You know it's my belief that

the creation of local boards with policy making authority will serve university system well. Governor we thank you for your courage the courage it took to make the changes that we're now going to say with us. Gore are excited about the future of us particularly under President Bush's leadership. Thank you. And thank you for being here today. USFL but you're real proud of the future. And so will all the other universities and I like them because what we do have a board member from the University of Florida here we are. Carlos Alfonso thanks for being here. You could see where Carlos was positioned. Outside of the speaker me that I'm calling Collins thank you very much

Madam President. Mr. Chairman it is because of leaders like you and again the great faculty and staff and students of our not only our post-secondary institutions colleges community colleges and also the K-12 system that allows us the confidence to be able to invest in you and your institutions and schools the kind of local control and choices that we believe you are quite capable of exercising each and every day. And to that end we have with us today a gentleman who is heading up our community college initiatives in the state of Florida. He is the chancellor of our community college system a system by the way it has for many years used a program of boards of trustees with with the state board and it has some degree of local control to be exercised within that framework. So they know already the power that lies within each of the institutions in those local communities to make those day to day decisions. So with that I would like to bring to the podium Dr. David Armstrong.

Bill is incredibly important for our community colleges the two major reasons. One was the lieutenant governor just expressed to me what is a wonderful system of governance that has made our community colleges the best in the nation. It has allowed trustees like Bill Kramer and here in the audience of our trustees the mission trainers from Gulf Coast Community College to allow those trustees to decide what programs are needed in local communities to respond to their economic development needs and what their students need to take in order to get good careers and job opportunities in the future. Secondly it reinforces the massive governance change that we have just implemented statewide and has encouraged now cooperations and partnerships similar to what the governor mentioned earlier between our community colleges and universities and K-12 institutions. Recently we had a wonderful meeting of a group of superintendents and presidents from our community colleges and

universities for the first time ever we have boards of trustees of community colleges now meeting in conjunction with boards from local school districts and boards and universities. So legislators governor secretary for Mr. Crist thank you very much from our community colleges for supporting. Governor Bush meets regularly with school superintendents from around the state of Florida. As CEO reaches out to hear what educators have to say about the business of education. The group that he will be meeting with later represents the largest of the 67 public school districts in the state of Florida. I asked the question earlier to confirm that just within those seven districts reside approximately two thirds of the entire student population of all 67 of the school districts which are now well over two and a half million strong. So it is important to listen to the people more of the practitioners the superintendents the board members

the principals and school teachers. And what you find in this document that will be signed today really are the goals the dreams the aspirations and the understanding's of those practitioners. So we are also proud to be on the campus of USF today but we're also very proud to be in a school district that is I truly believe forward thinking innovative creative understands bottom line accountability and the need to try to be better each and every year. And we're very pleased to bring to the podium now. Dr. Leonard school superintendent for Hillsborough County. Thank you lieutenant governor and Governor Bush thank you for. Thank you for arranging to have Bill Simon here in Hillsborough County. We certainly appreciate it. President thank you for this fine university here. It is a tremendous asset.

To this region and the state of Florida as well as to the entire state and being a member of the charter class of the University of South Florida know the importance of this university and we have developed here in Hillsborough County as well as other universities. A a very strong in other districts as well a very strong partnership with the community college and university as we've heard just a moment ago from Chancellor Armstrong. And it's important that we understand that what we're in is truly a case one system and not isolated to the public schools that K-12 our community college our universities. We think that it was certainly an awesome task to rewrite all of that 5000 pages long as it pertained to education. The real problem for me being my age and now I have to learn all of those codes that govern how we used to say you know in Section 31 section 229 this prevailed that prevail that we're going to have to find some other way to do that.

But one thing's for sure it will make it a lot easier the way it is now because it's in one unified solid code and we will know where to go for any of the answers or information that we need. So that in itself was often the other thing and I think it's extremely important that we mention is that this was a collaborative effort on the part of many many organizations and individuals that represent organizations to make this happen. It was an open process. You know I've They got the right goal line things kind of hesitated for a while or stalled for a while. Sometimes your offense does that but we didn't start with the 60 days of the session. It started last summer even before it started before what we put together the work groups that began crafting this piece of legislation I think it's very important to understand here we we've got something hundred seventy six

pages but they were not written in 60 days. It was a collaborative effort and it was one that stretched over a long period of time. For us the school districts the flexibility to that lives is paramount. Appreciate that. We also appreciate some of the issues that are addressed in very specific K-12 education as well as other educational libbers systems. With that I will say thank you on behalf of my fellow superintendent me who is executive director of forces the school footprint. We think this is a bold step forward and we're looking to implement it. This requires. Talking on the side of the doctor and said now that it's 17 or 76 instead of 5000 it's not only more user friendly but with some of our colleagues it will be easier to ignore now than it used to.

We. We have with us our last speaker and I say good for last. Wayne and I have been friends for a good many years and there were a teaser of what I post today the fact that this means more to do. Wayne Blanton Does anybody else behind me because he the only person up here who is actually involved in the rewrite in 1941. Who makes the paper every single one of these but I can't help myself. We are very pleased to have Dr. Blanton with us today. He is the executive director of the School Boards Association and again represents a group of men and women elected on a large scale within their districts their own home communities who must turn to this particular document on a very very frequent basis. And so when we say user friendly more streamlined and robust much more local control the people that he represents

ultimately represent every teacher and child in our system are very important players in having this entire process. We're glad to have you here. We're glad. Governor without a gun. Thank you very much. It was only my time is short but. Now I've got you all standing. I'm here to review the whole 200 page. I think it was this is a historic day. And you know I have been in Tallahassee a long time. The school boards the entire time. Well reference the school board this group does not represent the school board who represent children. You represent the university community colleges where they happen to be. This is a very diverse group that came together and I look like some other people who are in private school over there and they were with us every day and they hung in their homes to people were there and we made a decision on this commission mid-year last year and we were not going to worry about whether her child's private school or home school or public school or university or

whatever we were going to do what was best and we disagreed with them and do what's best for each individual child the state of Florida and I'll guarantee you this code does that. And that's the first time and any time I'm going to put our differences aside and do what's best for everybody. I think this truly shows that new page 27 can do that in a case or 20 system will involve everybody representing every portion of any part of any case in the state of Florida. If we do that we've accomplished a lot. Governor Lieutenant Governor I appreciate it. I know you're looking forward to another four years. We really don't want to do this again. And thank you very much for your leadership. And we're looking forward to work with you again as we promote this bill and make sure we do the right thing for every student. Block thank you. GOVERNOR. Now that I ask you to take a seat please and I will give you the University of South Florida University of South Florida.

Vine holds pen you use that to sign Senate bill 2011 get when you want to gather around. Please. Excuse. The governor will be available to members of the press as soon as we break up here this morning. And as he distributes the bands I want to thank all of you for attending the daily help to make this

a great celebration. Thank you. The University of South Florida thanks for hosting us. Thank you all. I. Guess. That trend towards a focus on achievement at the task force.

Can talk about anything. Get your through them. Yeah I'm I'm pleased. But look we've got a long way to go. It took a generation of low expectations and. Low or no standards to get where we were were a ton of our kids were not reading writing and we're calculating math at grade level. It's going to take a half a generation for us to get where we need to be. But each year sets an A-plus plan there has been a general improvement. I'm concerned about the higher grades and particularly in the Reading area. Too many high schoolers are not reading at grade level. We stop teaching reading after about fourth grade and the impact of that plays out now with kids struggling in high school. Actually I want to answer your question appreciate when it comes to the independent boards of trustees for loves a university you know that some critics have suggested that's going to create kind of a competition among those where the trustees are all going to be going to end up with duplicate programs and it'll be a fight. Well time they go for funding.

I've heard that the critics say that but here's here's the facts the Board of Education still will be the arbiter of major programs. And then we will avoid the duplication that you bring up because it's to benefit particular causes like universities and they've been doing it with a board of regents and without it. So there's really. I don't think there's the kind of cause for concern that has been of real talent in excellence in these communities that are dedicated to the university. And that will only help. So I'm I'm I'm excited about the new governance and I believe that it will help University of South Florida. There's a central Florida universities that are in the ascendancy and moving towards a status that makes will make us all very proud. The intersection of the school code and the parents and and others in our state. Is it do you accept do you believe that we should pass kids on that haven't learned what we expect them to learn. A huge majority will say no. We need to do a better job to assure that that our expectations are being met.

Now the fact that this new law still allows some leeway for superintendents and school boards and principals to use other variables if students in third grade a reading at that level one which is you know is the below basic level. They can use their individual their Eitan the individual education plan if they can show that that the student has mastered the standards then they can go on. The cat is a catalyst by effect in one of my Appleseed D-Va. closest to me and this little particle Arment little sister Leon. This gets done ourselves and and walking away the camel situates they see it might not even look up I see the they operate in their society Opata a lot. I think received it all ill. Ill bet Bull-Head and Johnson our youth they told us vamose. Keep our eye on this in of metal and they'll bring you a

little on your soul or the remedy are a lot probably must not seek. I will I one when I square law. They say I'm a peaceful elementary. I'll be on your side. Yeah yeah yeah. That can be like right. Well there they are. I think their concerns are legitimate. But in the review this bill would have been of very positive of to go to the Everglades fund. So I signed off. Yes ma'am. Yes absolutely. Thank you. What's your name. Are you. Nice to meet you. Nice to meet you. Thank you. Thank you.