Author Archive: Sue Legg

Charter Bills Update: Florida 2015 Legislative Session

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Charter school bills are moving again, at least in the Florida House.  The bills are all beginning to look more alike.  The charter school amendmlegislation1ent to HB 1145, filed this week, dropped the requirement for districts to share public school capital outlay millage with charters.  This is good news for financially strapped public schools.

It added a provision stating that charters have a financial audit that does not reveal any of the financial emergency conditions in 218.503(1) for the most recent year. On the surface, this does not sound like a transparency move.

There are some differences in provisions between the House and Senate relating to charter advisory board conflict of interest rules.  The Senate bill 1552 looks stronger than the other bills.  They just require board members to be identified and two meetings be held in the district.  Advisory boards controlled by their management companies cannot be very independent.  Details follow.

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Private Schools Respond to Public Money

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church and stateThis Orlando Sentinel article turns data into description.  How Florida’s tax credit scholarships and McKay vouchers for students with disabilities impacts private schools is the topic.

Some private schools operate solely on public money.  Others combine public scholarships and tuition.  Some do not take public money.

The rules for private schools are different.  Public accountability is limited.  Teachers do not need certification.  Academic achievement is mixed.  The Sentinel story has been excerpted below.  It is a side of the story worth telling.  What we do not know is if it is money well spent.

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Main Voucher Bill in Tennessee is Withdrawn

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The main voucher bill HB 1039 in Tennessee died yesterday.  This bill was similar to the Opportunity Scholarships that was declared unconstitutional in Florida.  Tennessee’s version would give vouchers to students who qualified for free and reduced lunch and were enrolled in a school with achievement scores in the bottom 5 percent.  A second bill, HB 138 survived.  It would provide vouchers for students with special needs who have IEPs.  While HB 138 has not become law, it was voted out of committee and is proceeding through the legislative process.  Anne-Marie Farmer’s post in this blog describes the bills.

Is This the Year for Vouchers in Tennessee?

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directory-466935_1280by Anne-Marie Farmer

Which way will Tennessee’s legislature go?  There are two bills moving through the legislature.  One bill would make any child with an IEP eligible for a voucher. There is no accountability required.  The second bill is geared toward students in struggling schools.

In this post, Anne Marie Farmer explains the impact of the bills.  This is serious for Tennessee’s public schools.  It could be sad for their children.

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Ethics in Education Conference: Miami

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ethicsI am looking forward to attending this conference on May 1-2, not just because I am a panelist.  The conference is sponsored by the Miami-Dade Commission on Ethics and Public Trust.  Co-sponsors are the University of Miami and Miami-Dade Public Schools.  My panel is:

School Choice And Public Resources: What Are The Limits For Charter Schools And Private School Subsidies?

The other panels are very interesting as well.  They cover everything from teaching to the test,  social issues e.g. immigration, bullying, policing as well as oversight and accountability.

Details on the program and location follow.  If possible, join us.

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Effective Schools: Taking the Bull by the Horns in Volusia County

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bull-155411_640Pat Drago (who is a former Volusia County school district administrator) and I had a conversation about how public schools improve.  She had an example from Volusia County.  This was an at risk school population where nothing the district had tried seemed to work. As we talked, she mentioned a friend who was a long time principal who told her that there was one thing that made the greatest difference for her.  What was it?

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Florida Testing Bill Signed into Law

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legislation1The Florida legislature passed the testing bill HB 7069 and Governor Scott signed it today.  There is more in the bill than just the reduction of the testing requirement to no more than 5% of the total number of school days.  Annual statewide testing remains.

I copied the staff analysis of the bill.  It requires an independent review of the Florida Standards Assessment, and the ‘A-F’ school grading system or student results will not be reported until after the study is completed.  The change in the reading requirement for promotion to 4th grade made it into law.

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More Local Property Taxes to Charters? Say No!

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school-295210_1280There is a snake in the grass in the Florida legislature.  We need to point it out to our local delegations before it bites us.  This is the amendment to the House charter bill HB 7037.  It was offered by Rep. Erik Fresen who is under investigation by the U.S. DOE for conflict of interest related to his real estate company and the Mater Charter Schools.  We need to contact everyone we can; the legislative session is nearly over, and we do not want this to appear on the last day.

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Charter Schools: Climate of Corruption?

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dirt-59785_640In 2012, Florida received an ‘F’ on Ethics Enforcement agencies from the Center for Public Integrity.  On the overall corruption index, Florida received a C-.

Governor Scott issued an executive order to strengthen the process.  The Florida Senate changed the conflict of interest rules for legislators in 2013-14. Bad things keep happening.  Is there a legislative cabal, or are some simply insensitive to the public interest?  There are stories to tell. Continue reading→