Scott's radio pitch: school testing shifts, manufacturing growth, Halloween

Gov. Rick Scott had another morning of drive time radio interviews today and we caught him with Jim Sanborn and Don Parker at WCOA in Pensacola. 

The governor touted the latest jobs report, "28,000 new private sector jobs" and "163,000 in new private sector jobs since I've been governor." He said that there is still work to do and "we still have a lot of people who still need jobs in this state.”

What is he doing for veterans? He talked about the Hiring Heroes program, coordination with the state's workforce boards, hiring by the Florida Department of Highway Safety. "I highlight the benefits,'' he said.

The noted that Conference Board said the state had the biggest increase in online job applications of any other state.

Scott mentioned his six trade missions. "We’re doing the right things, exports are up; tourism is up...people are moving to Florida, buying our houses."

"We’ll have around 90 million tourists here this year, when individuals come to our state they want to live here,'' Scott said.

The governor talked about his "listening tour" visits to schools and made a slight shift in his message. Instead of claiming the state will no longer teach to the test, as he has said repeatedly, he added the point that others have been making: the state is already heading in that direction with the PARCC exams (Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers which are tied to "Common Core" standards -- the new, national academic standards that Florida and other states have adopted.)

"PARCC will make sure we’re not teaching to a test,'' Scott said. "We’ll be testing critical thinking, so we’re moving in the right direction. I just want to make sure our tests are purposeful...After you get the test, and get the result, you ought to be able to say this is how it’s going to help you...It has to be diagnostic."

Scott also promised job growth in manufacturing as the state's 15 seaports expand and investment "triples" with the expansion of the Panama Canal. "There is significant opportunity to grow our manufacturing and our manufacturing has grown since I became governor."

Finally, the governor was asked what he's going to dress up for on Halloween. "I'll get to go around with my 11-month-old grand son,'' he said. "I'll probably do something appropriate with that."

The radio host suggested he dress up as an astronaut. "You're you’re long and lean,'' he said. Scott replied, "not a lot of hair....That's a good idea."

 

Comments

[G Schmidt]

he can go dress as the Cript Keeper

Not much of a change. Of course he will be less scary that he is now as a Governor