Florida education chief resigns amid grading controversy

Florida Commissioner of Education Tony Bennett resigned on Thursday amid controversy over school grading policy he implemented while serving as Indiana school superintendent.

"The decision to resign is mine and mine alone, because I believe that when this discussion turns to an adult, we lose the discussion about making life better for children," Bennett said.

Earlier last week it was revealed that Bennet had interceded on behalf of a high-profile Republican donor, whose charter school Christel House was expected to receive a C grade. After quickly revising the school grading formula, the school received an A.

Bennett denies the change was motivated by politics. He said the school lost points for not having a graduation rate, even though it only enrolled students in Kindergarten through tenth grade. He also said a dozen other schools benefitted from the change.

On Wednesday, Florida Governor Rick Scott went on TV saying Bennett is "doing a great job." Scott credited Bennett with helping the state's fourth and eighth graders' performance gains as well as high Hispanic graduation rates, even though Bennett only took the position in January after losing reelection in Indiana.

In fact, during Scott’s 31 months in office, there have been three different education commissioners including Bennett, and two interim education commissioners, all while the state overhauls school assessment to comply with national Common Core standards.

Bennett, a nationally-recognized school reformer, has long been an ally of former Florida Governor Jeb Bush, whose Foundation for Florida’s Future has driven education policy for the past decade.