High Court Turns Down Teacher Performance Pay Case
TALLAHASSEE (CBSMiami/NSF) - The Florida Supreme Court has declined to take up a constitutional challenge to a controversial law that more closely ties teachers' pay to how students perform on tests.
As is common, justices did not detail their reasons for deciding against hearing the challenge, which was filed on behalf of individual teachers and had the backing of the Florida Education Association teachers union.
The 1st District Court of Appeal in January upheld the law in a 10-3 decision. A Leon County circuit judge in 2013 also upheld the law, known as the "Student Success Act."
The performance-pay law spurred legislative battles in 2010 and 2011 before being signed into law by Gov. Rick Scott.
The case focused, at least in part, on whether lawmakers gave too much authority to the Florida Department of Education to carry out the law. But the majority of the 1st District Court of Appeal rejected the argument.
The News Service of Florida contributed to this report.