The controversial former chancellor of Washington, D.C., schools and a Jacksonville charter school leader were among a list of education experts appointed to Gov.-elect Rick Scott's transition effort this week.

The group, called "Champions for Achievement," is clearly in line with Scott's stated support for a reworked version of Senate Bill 6, a measure that would have tied teacher pay more closely to student performance. The measure passed the Legislature but was vetoed by Gov. Charlie Crist. Scott has echoed some of Crist's concerns about how to evaluate special-needs teachers, but has expressed support for the overall direction of the bill.

Perhaps the most notable choice on Scott's list is Michelle Rhee, the former chancellor of the D.C. school system. Rhee is a hero among conservative education-reform supporters, like the backers of SB 6, for moving the school system toward merit pay. But she was also polarizing among residents for closing schools and firing more than 200 teachers, some of them based on student performance.

Rhee became a major issue in this year's D.C. mayoral race, and she resigned shortly after incumbent Adrian Fenty, who appointed Rhee, was defeated.

"We pledged that we would always put children first and make decisions that would be in their best interest, even when - especially when - we knew it would cause consternation among adults," the two wrote in a joint op-ed in The Washington Post after the election.

Other appointees to Scott's team have also been strong supporters of merit pay. University System Chancellor Frank Brogan has supported merit pay for public school teachers, and also backed a merit pay plan as president of Florida Atlantic University. Patricia Levesque, executive director of Jeb Bush's Foundation for Florida's Future, was a strong supporter of SB 6 and has been involved in discussions in Tallahassee about a new version of the bill. MaryEllen Elia is superintendent of Hillsborough County Schools, where officials have already put in place a performance-pay plan in cooperation with local educators.

The team also includes a variety of figures from online education and the school-choice movement. Gary Chartrand, executive chairman of the board of the marketing firm Acosta Inc., has been a leader in pushing for changes in the local education system in Northeast Florida.

He helped bring the Houston-based Knowledge is Power Program charter school to Jacksonville. The college preparatory school that helps underprivileged children opened this year, and Chartrand serves on its board. The charter offers students longer and more school days and typically pays teachers higher salaries.

Chartrand has said that the work done in successful charter schools should be replicated at the district level.

brandon.larrabee@jacksonville.com,

(678) 977-3709

mary.palka@jacksonville.com,

(904) 359-4104

http://jacksonville.com/news/florida/2010-12-04/story/ex-dc-schools...