Education Initiatives
Governor Crist believes in providing Florida’s students with the best educational opportunities in the nation through high expectations, requirements for accountability, and belief that every student can succeed.
Every hard-earned tax dollar should be spent in a way that will maximize student achievement. The Governor supports a funding increase to raise teacher compensation for teachers performing in the top twenty-five percent in the state. He believes that schools should be required to spend at least sixty-five percent of education funding in classrooms by 2010 and seventy percent by 2015.
Governor Crist will work to increases the state’s high school graduation rate to ninety-five percent in 2015 by supporting school choice initiatives and providing a reading coach in every public school. Governor Crist believes this can be done by enabling students to personalize their education at an early age. He will promote competitive matching grants for municipal and private sector partnerships to create charter and technical centers to foster small learning communities that will raise student achievement and work ethic.
The Governor will emphasize the importance of physical education and comprehensive health education for students of all ages by establishing the Governor’s Commission on Physical Fitness.
Finally, Governor Crist believes in success for every Florida family through school choice. The Governor will work with the Legislature so that Floridians can vote for a constitutional amendment that protects school choice and students ability to attend non-public schools. He supports the Corporate Tax Scholarship and the McKay Scholarship Program. The Governor believes that charter schools are a critical component to a successful public education system. He will defend every family’s freedom to explore educational opportunities and teach children at home without extensive state regulation.