Category Archives: Florida

Competency Based Education Questioned

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by Laura McCrary

computers-332238_1280Competency based learning is not really new, but it is newly promoted.  Students use computer-based courses broken into chunks of content.  They can move at their own pace within a course and across grade levels.  Strategies vary.  Some programs grant credit for relevant experience.  Some combine online and in class instruction.  Many collect student data which is used to track progress.

The concerns raised relate to quality and intrusive data.  Opponents argue that competency based learning is really a cost saving tool with very questionable quality control.  The federal government supports projects.

We have an online charter high school that uses this approach.  Its graduation rate is about 17%.  We should pay attention.  Read Laura’s comment.

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Suspense Builds Over Governor’s Veto Pen

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dollar-726881_1280The one plus billion dollar surplus Florida was expecting in 2016 is dwindling.  The latest estimate of new revenue is down by $400 million.  Governor Scott wanted to give the surplus away in corporate tax reduction.  He would also authorize more money for education, but it was supposed to come from local property taxes, not state revenue.   The legislature has other ideas.

The legislature wants part of the new state revenue for education.  The budget agreement that will go to the Governor increases the per student funding by about $50.

To complicate everything even more, money for school buildings comes from two other sources.  Districts can raise some from local property taxes.  Charter schools want access to that fund, but currently districts do not have to share the money.  Since charter schools are privately owned, the district would not own those facilities even if they were to close.  As a result, the legislature has been giving most of the state tax revenue on utilities to charters and public universities.  This fund, called PECO is drying up.

How then is the state to support school facilities without making property taxes so high that voters complain?  The latest idea reported in the News Service of Florida is for the state to issue bonds.  This means the state would take on the debt to pay off the bonds while the Governor pursues his quest to minimize corporate taxes and use surplus revenue for his pet projects.

The Governor may veto issuing bonds for school facilities.  Will he also veto the K12 per student funding increase?  A high quality educational system is key for attracting the new business the Governor seeks.  Yet, it is as if he wants something for nothing.

Volusia Claims Bait and Switch in Legislature

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dollar-163473_1280Volusia citizens approved a 5 cent sales tax hike for school construction.  The legislature wants to take it away.  Why?  Cutting taxes, even those citizens want is the theme of this year’s legislature.  To justify the cuts, some legislatures claim that too many school facility projects exceeded state caps on spending.  They failed to mention that the cost basis for facilities is very out of date.  Moreover, some communities want an auditorium or similar feature that is not covered in the facility cost cap.  If they exceed the cap, the district is penalized financially.

To add to the problem, the current bill would require districts to share facility funding with charter schools.  In Volusia, there are only two charters, but the loss to the district is $300,000.  It is no surprise charters want the money.  They were supposed to be less expensive than traditional schools, but the lure of more money is always there.

At some point, the legislature will have to face the reality that competition is not saving money.  It is just going in different directions.  Public schools have many older buildings that need renovation.  Shifting money to charters makes a bad problem worse.  Think about it, if you have 600 students who could all fit in one school, and you take 300 of them and enroll them in another, you have two buildings to pay for instead of one.  Why are we doing this and calling it a good choice?

 

 

Meeting with the Black Caucus in Tallahassee

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five for changeMonday three of us from 5forChange met with the group of legislators known as the Black Caucus.  We had been advised by our local representative, Clovis Watson, that we should talk to the broader black community.  He believed they would be supportive of our message about the need to preserve diversity in our public schools.  They were. We were able to explain the Citizens for Strong Schools lawsuit and why it mattered to each of us.

These are personal, emotional remarks from the heart by parents of children in our public schools.  We represented diversity just by looking at us.

Tarcha Rentz spoke first.  She is a former teacher who grew up in our community and received her Ph.D. in Special Ed. She held everyone’s attention.  Here are her remarks:

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League President Speaks Out for 5forChange

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IMG_1273The Citizens for Strong Schools lawsuit comes to trial on March 14.  It will be a five week trial for the soul of our public schools.
Southern Legal Counsel, a non-profit public interest firm, is prosecuting the suit against the State of Florida’s educational policies.  The suit contents that the state does not meet Article IX of the Florida constitution:  …it is the paramount duty of the state to provide:  ...a uniform, efficient, safe, secure, and high quality system of free public schools…  
You can help.  A statewide support group, 5forChange, has been formed that is raising funds and awareness of the issues to be addressed in the suit.
Pam makes the Florida league’s position clear:
“The decades long attack on the Florida public school system by our State officials must be stopped.  With support from parents, students and community members, our plea goes to the courts.  5forChange can mean BIG CHANGE for Florida’s educational future.”
Pamela Goodman
President, The League of Women Voters of Florida

Investing in What Works

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directory-466935_1280Many states are struggling with a fundamental choice in improving at risk schools.  Do you help communities to band together to bring resources and talent to struggling schools or does the state take over these schools and ‘fix’ them by turning them over to charter management companies?

 

 

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Budget Talks on Education Break Down

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Representative Fresen refused to accept most parts of Senator Gaetz’s education funding plan.  Now, the talks will escalate to the House and Senate Appropriations committees.  It will be up to Chairmen Lee and Corcoran to hammer out a deal.  According to news reports, the only agreement between the two was to avoid increasing local property taxes to support new education funding.

 

 

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Education Funding Strategy Getting Clearer

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dollar-726881_1280Senator Gaetz and Representative Fresen are meeting this weekend to hammer out the education budget.  I received a list of Representative Fresen’s proposals.  It shifts $430 million in projected funding increases from local property taxes to the State.  The new per student amount would be $7,178.49 and tops the 2007 level by about $52 per student.  This is long overdue.

There are increases in specific areas and as much total funding as reported earlier.

 

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New Omnibus Bills Pass Senate Appropriations

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japan-82123_1280The two new bills heard in the Senate Appropriations Committee today were not really new.  Senator Gaetz collapsed a number of existing bills into two omnibus bills.  The recess bill did not get included.  The limit on capital outlay for public school facilities was included.

The second bill relates to early childhood education, open enrollment, dual enrollment, private school sports participation, and charter school accountability.

These bills move on next week.  A lot of negotiation will happen between the House and the Senate.  The specifics follow:

 

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