It's Not About the Kids It's About the Contracts!

Confidential sources have said there's an angle to be played by the Scott people concerning teacher evaluations and the new testing.

Testing resources are expensive. All the sudden we need a new FCAT! Gasp! That old one is no good! Didn't you get the memo? Our schools are failing and the sky is falling!

The confidential source said many are wondering if there isn't a private beneficiary to all the testing, as with Neil Bush during his brother Jeb's tenure as governor and the FCAT 1.0.

FCAT 2.0. Here's the nugget of truth. In 2002, Gov. Jeb Bush's brother Neil did approach the state to produce testing materials for the state.

But Pearson won the contract.

That doesn't mean they will get the next one and there may indeed be a player in the wings waiting to benefit.

Here's a curious item that bears scrutiny.

Hastily injected Senate Bill 922, says Senator Flores will pay an outside "entity" (this is a code word for a corporation) to develop a funding formula, per student funding, county by county. Ten guesses on which counties will get the funding first? Well, since the districts are pretty much drawn up to favor republicans, I suppose we could overlay those on top of the counties and see where the money will magically go!



Also, will SB 922 employ a "contractor" that has more than a Kevin Bacon connection to Rick Scott? Our survey says yes. The appropriation is currently for $100,000 but we'll see if that doesn't go higher. It is scheduled to go into affect on July 11 of this year.

Also, the Senate Committee on education funding was just yesterday, discussing the use of computerized grading and evaluation systems for the new FCAT 2.0.

That sounds like an expensive proposition! Gosh Golly! I wonder who will get that contract?

Friends of Rick?

This is the point. All at once, in your face changes with little shells and little peas sliding all around on the playing table while they are slashing budgets to teachers.

Watch the money!

It is your right as a citizen to follow any bills sliding through this session/nightmare. Here's a page for the bill tracker. You can have updates on any bill sent to your email as often as every day or every 15 minutes.