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Governor Rick Scott has begun his administration by making it clear he will push hard for education reform.  Merit pay and the end of tenure, and even vouchers for all could be on the agenda. Scott signaled his intentions when he took his first road trip as Governor.

As Scott took off in his private jet on his first road trip as Governor, his intentions could not have been more clear. Scott toured a successful Miami Charter School.

The push is being met with cheers or skepticism across the state. At this Tallahassee high school,  moral is suffering.

“They’re casting a pall over the teachers in the sense that it’s just so negative, when a lot of what we do is not negative,” guidance counselor Jerry Hassler said.

If given a free hand, Scott would create a wide-open voucher program, giving students state money to attend any school anywhere.

The biggest obstacle to Scott’s most ambitious reforms may not be teachers or teacher unions, but the Florida Supreme Court.

The court ruled vouchers unconstitutional in 2006. Scott’s transition team has recommended changing the constitution. But he says the idea is still on the drawing board.

“I clearly want to have as much choice as possible,” Scott said. “I believe competition will make all of us better. I believe the more our schools compete, they’ll get better. So I’ll look at that down the road.”

For Scott, there is not rush. Asking voters to change the constitution isn’t to likely to  happen before the 2012 election, and that gives him time to make changes in small bites.

Teachers unions say they are willing to work with the Governor to find a fair way to implement merit pay. They are certain to draw a line in the sand over a massive voucher expansion envisioned by Scott.