FLORIDA DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
?
STATE BOARD OF EDUCATION
John L. Winn
Commissioner of Education
F. PHILIP HANDY,
Chairman
T. WILLARD FAIR,
Vice Chairman
Members
DONNA G. CALLAWAY
JULIA L. JOHNSON
ROBERTO MARTÍNEZ
PHOEBE RAULERSON
LINDA K. TAYLOR
October 21, 2005
MEMORANDUM
TO:
District Superintendents
FROM:
John L. Winn
SUBJECT
:
High Quality Teachers
Let me take this opportunity to express my appreciation, and that of Governor Bush, for your
leadership in implementing some of the most innovative and rigorous education reforms in the
nation. As you know, long before we began to talk about NCLB and AYP, Florida had
implemented challenging and rigorous expectations for both our students and the education
professionals who serve them.
As we have striven to provide high quality teachers for every classroom, our teachers have risen
to the challenge by working to improve their skills to align them with the Sunshine State
Standards.
Although we are well down that road, work still remains. I am aware that some teachers have
concerns about meeting highly qualified teacher requirements by the June 30, 2006, deadline
established in No Child Left Behind.
We need to keep in mind that Florida has a deep commitment to provide high quality teachers for
our children. We know that a quality effort is critical if our goal is to provide excellent teachers.
Teachers have been working hard to meet our more rigorous state requirements even before the
passage of NCLB; to that end, administrators have put forth a good faith effort to provide
opportunities to assist all teachers to meet higher professional standards.
325 W. GAINES STREET • SUITE 1514 • TALLAHASSEE, FL 32399-0400 • (850) 245-0505 • www.fldoe.org
October 21, 2005
Superintendents
Page 2
I am aware that NCLB’s June 30, 2006, deadline regarding Highly Qualified Teachers provides a
new sense of urgency. I want to assure you that I am working diligently with officials at
USDOE to educate them about the high academic standards we have set in place for teachers and
the time that is necessary to successfully meet these requirements.
Please know that there is no policy, state or federal, that requires the dismissal of teachers who
do not meet the June 30, 2006, NCLB deadline. Our mutual goal should be to encourage those
teachers who are currently enrolled in our rigorous programs, such as the Reading Endorsement,
to continue on that path. We want and need their expertise so that we can address the dual goals
of maintaining an adequate quantity of teachers while keeping our level of quality high.
Thank you for all you do for the children and educators of Florida.
JW/cpy
