According to the News Service of Florida, Representative Manny Diaz has filed a constitutional amendment that could change how charter schools are approved in Florida.
Category Archives: Charter Schools
Class Size Policies: Charters Avoid Mandate But Public Schools Can’t?
It is curious that Senator Legg believes that charter schools should escape class size mandates, but public schools are exploiting loop holes if they have the same flexibility.
There are times when, under the guise of flexibility, school choice is simply a way to avoid laws designed to protect the interests of children. Class size was mandated by voters in 2002 in the Florida constitution. Charters were able to use a school average class size but not district schools.
Laws implementing the amendment should be applied to all schools in the same way. They are not. Schools of Choice play by different rules. Districts want the same flexibility as charter schools. They found a way, but now Senator Legg wants to close that option for school districts.
Charter School Bill: Fill Unmet Needs
Senator Clemens has filed SB 252, and it specifies that charter schools must fill an unmet need that public schools do not or are unable to meet.
This is such a rationale, common sense bill. It is also the League’s first consensus statement from our statewide study. Three cheers!
Florida Legislators Target School Districts
Legislation
Boy, did I fail to read the fine print on SB 830. This is an anti local school district bill that would authorize the State Board of Education to grant charters instead of local school boards. In an earlier post, I commended Senator Stargel for not allowing charters to discriminate in admissions against students with poor academic records. Further down in the bill, I see why she did so. This is a major attack.
There is also a Principals Autonomy bill listed below that should be watched.
I am also listing current bills in the blog under the LEGISLATION section of the banner that runs across the top. It is green!
New Charter School Bill Filed in Florida Legislature
Senator Brandes, representing South Pinellas County, home of the Pinellas ‘Failure Factories’ filed SB 808. The bill will allow municipalities to authorize charter schools. Current law requires municipalities to submit charter proposals to the county school board. This bill would allow cities to create charters without school district approval. It would appear to be another effort to weaken public school districts.
There is a Municipal Charter School Foundation based in West Palm Beach that evidently was founded in 2013. It offers support to cities that wish to open charters. Its financial statement does not show much activity, so it is unclear if this group has had any input into Senator Brandes’ bill.
SB 808 also eliminates the prohibition of a charter school to open more than one high performing charter in a given year.
Neither of these provisions address current problems with inadequate charter school oversight or with the lack of district support for struggling south Pinellas schools. At some point the Legislature will have to focus on real problems and real solutions to inequities. An under funded charter school cannot do miracles, and neither can an ignored, under funded public school.
A State of the Charters Report from Broward
By Margery Marcus, LWV-Broward
Life has its ironies. Imagine a school district getting complaints from charter schools that there is too much competition from other charter schools! This report from Broward shows how problems evolve. It also reports on district priorities to curb charter school abuse.
Some one asked me recently what gives me hope. District recognition that they must advocate for common sense policies that provide both flexibility and efficiency will change the conversation about school reform. Keep talking!! AND do not let the legislature abolish districts!
Hilary Clinton Speaks Up About Charter Schools
Finally, there is recognition that public schools should be for the public! This post from Diane Ravitch gives hope that problems with charter schools have reached the top echelons of our political system. Charters are called public, but they are privately run and too often not well.
Cyber Schools: The Latest Threat to Quality
Three studies are combined in a report about online charter school achievement (or lack thereof). The result is sobering. Interesting that these research institutes are funded by pro reform foundations. They are concerned and we need to be vigilant.
Florida Education Funding: Holding the Purse Strings
Does Florida short change its students? Where does the education funding come from and where does it go? Answers to such questions require some ‘tax literacy’. Florida is one of seven states with no income tax. As a percentage of personal income, Florida has the fourth lowest tax rate in the country. Corporate taxes currently are 2.9% of Florida’s revenue. Yet, Florida is not a poor state; some areas are quite wealthy.Now there is a legislative proposal to eliminate property taxes. What are the implications of such an idea? Clearly, sales taxes would have to go up. The question prompted me to put together Florida’s funding stream for education. I asked some questions:
- How much of its budget does Florida allocate for education?
- How does Florida’s education funding compare to other states?
- How much of the education budget is funded from states sales tax, the lottery, local property taxes and the federal government?
- How much is diverted from the education budget by corporate tax rebates for private school scholarships?
- How much money is diverted from school districts to charter schools?
The answers to these questions explain a lot. We can understand the power of the federal purse when we oppose federal mandates on testing and accountability programs. We can understand public school districts’ concerns about the attempts to privatize the educational system. We can evaluate the impact of proposals to reduce taxes. Most of all, we can examine our state’s priorities.
Two New Charter School Bills for 2016: Florida
Legislation
Some of the bills that were shelved in the 2015 legislative session are reappearing in an amended form. The first bill, SB 140 was filed by Senator Ring. It has some good provisions to improve charter school management.
The second bill, HB 287 is a reworking of the pilot principal autonomy bill filed last year. This is one to watch carefully, it is a stealth version of a charter district bill.