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The Florida Legislature began its 60-day session on March 29th, with one of its first orders of business being to change the way teachers in Florida are paid. Rather than being paid for longevity, if SB 736 passes the legislature next week as it's expected to do, teachers will be paid based on how well they and their students perform in the classroom. A similar bill was vetoed by previous Governor Charlie Christ, but this new version is expected to win Governor Rick Scott's approval.

"If you look across the board, one thing that is consistent is that teacher effectiveness is the most influential variable in a student's learning," bill sponsor Rep. Erik Fresen told the New York Times. "Teaching is disconnected from any other profession in the world. Every profession that I know has some effectiveness input in terms of a salary increase and whether you get promoted or get paid less or paid more."

Details of the bill state that starting in 2014, how well students do on assessment tests will help determine how well teachers do on their yearly evaluations. Principals also weigh in on the evaluations. A poor evaluation would lead to dismissal after three to five years, while good evaluations would garner merit raises. Beginning this July, newly hired teachers will be subject to one-year contracts, with renewals based on their evaluations.

Probably not surprisingly, the bill has its foes, including teachers' unions. They are opposed because they fear the new bill will drive school districts to hire teachers cheaply. They also point to the fact that Florida schools are becoming markedly better, as witnessed by a report in Education Week magazine that now ranks Florida schools fifth in the country. This, the unions say, is proof that teachers in Florida are doing their work.

There's another problem with the bill, according to Sen. Paula Dockery, one of only two Republicans who voted against the bill. Florida doesn't have the money to put into the standardized tests or the pay raises. "So where will the performance-pay dollars come from?" she asked as the matter was debated in the Florida senate last week. "I want specific dollar amounts. I really just want to understand what the costs to the taxpayer of the state of Florida are going to be."

Other states may be following suit. A similar bill passed the Idaho House of Representatives and is expected to be signed in to law by Governor C.L. Butch Otter.