Hailed by Conservative politicians and academics as a national model, Senate Bill 6 links teacher pay raises to student test scores.

The legislation also does away with teacher tenure.

Despite protests across the state from teachers, school administrators and many parents, the House approved the merit pay legislation 64-55. The Senate approved the same bill last week.

Now the legislation awaits the signature of Governor Charlie Crist. A strong supporter of the measure just a few weeks ago, earlier this week, the Republican, who is also seeking his party's nomination for the U.S. Senate, has moved away from early assurances he'd sign the bill.

"There are things about it I like and things about it that give some concern and I've expressed that," he said Thursday. "I just want to weigh it out."

But the move to the undecided column as a few Republicans questioning the Governor's motives and accusing him of simply shifting with the political winds.

"He told me personally he liked the legislation," St. Augustine Senator JohnThrasher, the bill's sponsor, told the WOKV's news partner The Palm Beach Post. "But, you know, people can change their mind I guess."

The legislation does not allocate any state money for the performance pay. Instead, local districts will be forced to set aside five percent of their budgets to cover the cost.

St. Johns County school administrators say that's a $10 million expense they'll now have to plan for.

"The only way we can accomplish that would be by realinging our salary schedule and reducing the base pay of a lot of teachers," district spokesperson Margie Davidson told WOKV.

Duval County officials have not told WOKV how much the merit pay bill will cost. But during the House debate Thursday night, Jacksonville Democrat Mia Jones said the burden for the district would top $40 million.