May 20, 2013
FORT WALTON BEACH, Fla. (AP) -- Florida Senate President Don Gaetz says the state's new teacher evaluation system isn't working.
The former Okaloosa County school superintendent also says lawmakers should stop making major changes in the state's schools until that plan and other key initiatives are fixed and implemented.
The Republican from Niceville spoke about education issues during an interview Monday in nearby Fort Walton Beach.
Gaetz said the test-based evaluation system and a related performance pay plan are too complicated and fail to draw clear distinctions between the best and worst teachers.
The Florida Department of Education last month released the first preliminary evaluation results. They showed nearly 97 percent of teachers across Florida were rated "effective" or "highly effective."
Those are the top two out of five possible ratings.
