Florida Gov. Rick Scott delivered the State of the State Address to the Legislature on the opening day of its session Tuesday, stressing jobs and education. Here are his remarks on education, as prepared for delivery:

Gov. Scott

Our work to cut spending and live within our means over the last two years has allowed us to once again invest in education.

The workers of tomorrow are in Florida classrooms today.

When I first stood before you in 2011, I said, “The single most important factor in student learning is the quality of teaching.”

Since that time, we eliminated teacher tenure. We signed performance pay into law, and it will take effect in 2014.

Florida’s education system is making tremendous progress, due in large part to our great teachers and the work begun by Governor Bush and many in this legislature.

Our students and teachers were recently ranked sixth for educational quality; and our fourth-graders scored among the highest in the world on a recent reading evaluation.

Accountability is working.

The best way we can build on this progress is to reward our hard-working teachers with a $2,500 pay raise.

Some say they are afraid that giving raises to all teachers may mean that a teacher doing a bad job gets rewarded. But, thanks to our work, we are now in a better position than ever before to reward good teachers and move bad teachers out of the classroom.

We don’t want a war on teachers; we want a war on failure. (more…)

Washington: The new Charter School Commission is attracting candidates from across the state and beyond, including Liz Finne, a lawyer and director of the Center for Education Reform at the Washington Policy Center. The governor and other leaders expect to choose nine volunteers by March 6 (Associated Press). A coalition of educators and community groups filed a legal challenge that questions the constitutionality of Washington's new charter schools law (Associated Press). More from Education Week.

Colorado: With more than 80,000 students enrolled in 190 charter schools, charter leaders try to clear up misconceptions about the school choice option (Reporter-Herald). Douglas County's Choice Scholarship Program does not violate the  state Constitution, rules an appeals court. The outcome could have wide-ranging implications for whether vouchers  can be used statewide (Associated Press).

Alabama: Legislators approve tax credit scholarships for students attending failing public schools (Associated Press). More about the "legislative bombshell''  that Republicans called historic and Democrats said was a sleazy "bait and switch,'' at AL.com. And the site offers a primer on the Alabama Accountability Act.

Idaho: Khan Academy will provide math, physics and history classes in 47 public, private and charter schools this fall, making Idaho the nation's first proving ground for statewide implementation of the free online educational content and teaching model (Associated Press).

Michigan: A report measuring charter school performance statewide calls the Eastern Michigan University-authorized schools the second worst system in the state. EMU says the report doesn't take into account that the schools serve some of the state's toughest communities (Ann Arbor.com)

Charter schools. Democratic lawmakers have filed several bills to reign in problems that arise when charter schools close, reports Gradebook. Miami-Dade County planners reject a charter school's proposal to grow on the site of a former private school, reports the Miami Herald.

Jeb Bush. Talks Florida-style ed reform in Texas. Dallas Morning News. Texas Tribune. Associated Press. Austin American Statesman. KUT.org.

School spending. Lawmakers should loosen the strings on impact fee money, writes the Ocala Star Banner.

More sequestration. WOKV.com. Gradebook.

Teacher evaluations. Seminole officials fear good teachers could lose their jobs under the new system, reports Orlando Sentinel. In southwest Florida, only four people sound off on the evals at a DOE meeting, reports the Naples Daily News.

Teacher pay. Seminole teachers ask for more. SchoolZone.

Broad Prize. A Broad Prize site-visit team suggests Orange County could soon be in the running. Orlando Sentinel. (more…)

Tax credit scholarships. Tampa Bay Times columnist Robyn Blumner doesn't like U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio's proposal for federal scholarships.

Charter schools. Tampa Bay Times columnist John Romano bemoans the number of charter schools that close because of low enrollment (but curiously doesn't mention traditional public schools that don't get closed despite the same problem). The Cape Coral City Council will consider a resolution asking the Lee County School Board to share capital funding with the city's  charter schools, reports the Cape Coral Daily Breeze. More from the Fort Myers News Press.

Virtual schools. Expanding digital education is a top issue in the coming legislative session. The Florida Current.

Jeb Bush. In education, "he has a record of making messes," the Palm Beach Post editorializes (just days after two more credible, independent reports find Florida students leading the country in progress).

Parental engagement. Duval Superintendent Nikolai Vitti wants to import a Parents Academy program similar to one he worked with in Miami-Dade. Florida Times Union.

Education leadership. The Sarasota Herald-Tribune profiles Sen. Bill Galvano, R-Bradenton, the chair of the Senate Education Appropriations Subcommittee.

Teacher evaluations. The first year of statewide teacher evaluation data using the complicated the VAM formula shows the big difference in progress for students with the highest-rated teachers versus the lowest-rated teachers. StateImpact Florida.

Teacher testimony. Megan Allen, Florida's 2010 Teacher of the Year,  testifies movingly before Congress about the impact that budget cuts will have on high-needs students. Answer Sheet. (more…)

Common Core. More signs that an implementation delay is in the works. StateImpact Florida. Orlando Sentinel. Associated Press.

School spending. South Florida Sun Sentinel: "The Broward school district overpaid a security firm by $129,000, according an internal audit that found the district grossly mismanaged the contract, paid unnecessary overtime and late fees, and even paid guards after the contract expired." Brevard Superintendent Brian Binggeli hears from upset parents and teachers objecting to budget cuts, reports Florida Today.

Special needs students. Parents say they'll fight district plans to shutter two schools for special needs students in Broward. South Florida Sun Sentinel.

Gays and lesbians. More than 100 supporters of a proposed Gay-Straight Alliance at a Lake County middle school turn out for a school board meeting. Orlando Sentinel.

Teacher evals. Mismatch between eval results and school grades concerns state education officials, reports Orlando Sentinel and Gradebook.

Teacher pay. Is Scott's proposal a raise or a bonus? Lakeland Ledger.

Educator conduct: The Sarasota Herald Tribune reports Manatee district officials did not follow up on tips about an assistant football coach's possible misconduct involving a student and decided to close an inquiry in time for the playoffs.

Diane Ravitch. Weighs in on school closings in Brevard. (Hat tip: Florida Today).

More conspiracy! The editorial board of the The Oklahoman takes a rational look at the Jeb-Bush-corporate-conspiracy theory being promoted by a group called In the Public Interest and advanced by mainstream media.

School boards. Manatee board member Julie Aranabar won't face charges for a potential public records violation. Sarasota Herald Tribune.

Course choice. Florida students in K-12 and higher education could pick courses provided by entities outside the traditional public school system under bills filed Thursday by Sen. Jeff Brandes, R-St. Petersburg. SchoolZone.

Jeb Bush. He meets with lawmakers in the Capitol and predicts passage of the parent trigger bill. Coverage from Palm Beach Post,  Miami Herald, Tallahassee Democrat.

More parent trigger. Senate President Don Gaetz and House Speaker Will Weatherford are enthusiastic, reports StateImpact Florida. More from Sunshine State News.

Gifted academy. Orange school board members discuss the possibility of a K-8 gifted academy in the face of competition, including one parent's call for a gifted charter school. SchoolZone.

Common Core. The language of key lawmakers and Education Commissioner Tony Bennett suggest an implementation delay is in the works. Gradebook.

Gays and lesbians. A Gay-Straight Alliance at Carver Middle School in Lake County could teach teens much-needed respect and tolerance, writes Orlando Sentinel columnist Lauren Ritchie.

Bullying. A girl's beating at school is captured on video and put on facebook. Tampa Bay Times.

Early learning. News Service of Florida.

School calendar. SchoolZone.

Rezoning in Seminole. Orlando Sentinel.

Rick Scott's proposed budget. Includes $1.2 billion more for public schools. Coverage from South Florida Sun Sentinel, Gainesville Sun, Fort Myers News Press, TCPalm.com, Associated Press, Pensacola News Journal. "A relief to educators," reports the Lakeland Ledger.

Digital education. Jeb Bush on CNN's Schools of Thought Blog: "Digital learning is just one important element of the overall school choice movement being celebrated during National School Choice week – and rightfully so. There is no silver bullet. There is no one-size-fits-all option. There can and must be only a proliferation of ever-growing options so that students and parents can embrace whatever educational scenario is best for them."

Exposed, day two! The Tampa Bay Times plugs the Jeb-Bush-corporate-connections-conspiracy "story" by offering a link from the front of its web site to The Buzz, which channels the "news" from, of all places, The Answer Sheet blog, which The Buzz curiously describes as merely "the Washington Post's education blog."

PTA activism award. The Florida chapter is honored for successfully defeating parent trigger legislation last year. Gradebook.

School spending. The Brevard school board considers a bus fee for students in choice programs. Florida Today.

Teacher pay raises. A constitutional amendment for that is a bad idea. Palm Beach Post.

ESE changes in Hillsborough. Latest from Tampa Bay Times and Tampa Tribune.

Concordant scores. They're out now. Tampa Bay Times.

PARCC. StateImpact Florida relays a DOE overview of the coming tests.

Superintendents. Manatee adds a sixth candidate, reports the Bradenton Herald and Sarasota Herald Tribune. Whoever he or she ultimately is "must have the skill set, character and strength to bring this district back from disaster," editorializes the Bradenton Herald.

Race to the Top. Florida is back on track a year after federal education officials warned it for falling behind on grant-funded projects. Associated Press.

More Crist on vouchers: Charlie Crist on “Hardball” last night: MSNBC host Chris Matthews warned Crist that there was a “blue plate special aspect” now that he’s changed parties, and that he’d have to buy into Democratic mainstream arguments: opposing vouchers, supporting the public school teachers union. “I’m fine with that,” Crist insisted, to which Matthews replied that it’s “quite a switch.”

Jeb Bush on poverty and education. From an interview with Andy Rotherham in Time: “I would reverse the question: education impacts poverty, not the other way around. If we don’t empower families to be able to have a quality education, then their children for the first time in American history, truly the first time, will not have the same economic opportunities. That’s not speculation. The evidence is in.”

Poverty categorical. From the News Service of Florida: “School districts with a higher percentage of low income students would receive additional funding from the state, under a bill filed Monday by Rep. Frank Artiles, R-Miami. The bill (HB 31) would authorize state education officials to create another special category of funding to address districts with higher percentages of low income students. … The bill would leave up to school districts how to divvy up the money, but the funding must be used for class size reduction, reading initiatives and intervention programs targeting students in kindergarten through third grade.”

Florida readers second in the world. In fourth grade, only students in Hong Kong did better on an international test, reports the Orlando Sentinel. The results were solid but not as impressive in math and science.

Imagine troubles. The Imagine charter school in St. Petersburg is recommended for closure, again, reports the Tampa Bay Times.

Charter school debate. The Florida Times Union offers pro and con.

More on remediation. StateImpact Florida.

More on teacher evals. Palm Beach Post.

Special education changes. A district task force in Hillsborough recommends many in a report following the deaths of two special need students, reports the Tampa Bay Times.

The Florida Board of Education announced its finalists for education commissioner today, with a list of three candidates including Indiana's outgoing education chief Tony Bennett.

Bennett, who gained national acclaim and criticism for pushing Florida-style education reforms in his home state, lost his re-election bid last month. That immediately sparked rumors that the Chiefs of Change leader might come to the Sunshine State.

The other finalists culled from 53 applications are:

Charles Hokanson Jr. A consultant and former president of the Alliance for School Choice, he also served as a deputy assistant secretary at the U.S. Department of Education, appointed by former President George W. Bush. According to the Orlando Sentinel, Hokanson said he worked on state reform efforts at the alliance, including those pushed in Florida by former Gov. Jeb Bush.

Randy Dunn. Murray State University president and a former Illinois state superintendent of education.

The board will interview the finalists during its Dec. 11 meeting in Tampa.

The new education commissioner will replace Gerard Robinson, who left at the end of August. Robinson, who only took the job a year earlier, said at the time that being apart from his family in Virginia proved too challenging. He also received sharp criticism surrounding changes to the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test that resulted in test scores dropping statewide.

Pam Stewart, the interim education commissioner, did not submit an application for the permanent post.

At Jeb Bush’s National Summit on Education Reform in Washington, D.C. last week, two prominent education reformers from the center-left and the center-right joined to make a remarkable statement about parental choice. Asked from the audience to name their “No. 1 idea” to improve public education, former New York City school chancellor Joel Klein and former U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice answered with a remarkably united voice.

Their three minutes of extemporaneous remarks are well worth your time, and are available through C-SPAN.org here.

In brief, Klein spoke of the way various types of learning options, including charter schools, have helped spur improvements in New Orleans and Harlem: “About a third of the kids in Harlem in the third grade are in charter schools. What’s amazing is the Harlem District went up, and this is apples to apples, went up dramatically from when we started this intensive choice process there to now. … Not only did the charter schools outperform almost everybody, but the public schools … actually moved up significantly themselves.”

Rice spoke to how competitive pressures have produced a “catalytic” effect in higher education, and noted that only wealthier families tend to have choice in a K-12 system where pupil assignment is determined only by geography: “So the only people stuck in neighborhood schools are poor people, and that’s the height of inequality. And that’s why I’ve called it a civil rights issue.”