Education: Florida Governor Rick Scott unveils new education plan for public schools

Gov. Rick Scott announced Thursday an education agenda that emphasizes accountability in transition, support for teachers and increased flexibility in education.

Scott, who revealed details and goals of his plan this morning during the Fort Myers News Press Market Watch Education Summit, said it is aimed putting college and career first.

"Our goal in Florida is to become the state known for sunshine and jobs," he said. "A great education is the precursor for a great job."

To meet his goal of having accountability in transition, Scott said the state will avoid implementing new testing requirements that do not support the new Common Core standards. The governor said during his listening tour at schools across the state, many teachers said they could not keep up with the constantly-changing test requirements handed down from Tallahassee.

He said educators don't want to teach to the tests -- they want testing to provide information that helps them tailor their teaching.

Scott's second goal is to support teachers, which he proposes doing by providing debit cards funded by the state, districts and the private sector to prevent teachers from having to spend their own money on classroom supplies.

The third goal of the agenda is to increase flexibility in education by getting rid of regulations that aren't needed and take away from the time teachers have to work with students. Under that goal, Scott also mentioned removing enrollment caps on existing charter schools and giving school districts more flexibility in purchasing instructional materials.

"We must focus our entire educational system on better prep future generations of students," the governor said.