Category Archives: Funding

Trump Budget: Deep Cuts in Public Education

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We knew this was coming, and next week it will be here.  According to the Washington Post, the education budget for public schools will be cut by $10.6 billion dollars.  The cuts include:

  • Work study cut in half; student loan programs revised
  • End of public service loan forgiveness
  • Mental health, advanced course work and other services cut
  • After school programs gone
  • Teacher training and class size reduction gone
  • Childcare for low income college students gone
  • Arts education gone
  • Gifted students gone
  • Career and technical education cut
  • and on and on

A significant change in Title I funding will impact low income public schools.  The new Title I program would allow $1 billion to go to choice schools.  Thus, low income public schools would receive even less support than they now have.   Money saved goes into charter schools and vouchers for private, religious schools.  Some funds go to increased choice for public schools.  Is this a recipe for quality schools or a disaster?

As Senator Lamar Alexander’s spokesperson said, ‘The Congress passes budgets”.  We elect congressmen and women.  Let them know what you think.

 

With Vouchers Parents Lose Right for Child’s Education

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In this NPR interview, the plight of parents who take vouchers is exposed.  Parents explain their search and frustrating when choosing  private schools; they lose their right to have their children served.  If they are dissatisfied, their only recourse is to try a different school.  When their child has a disability, there may be no school within reach that will accept the child.  Attorney and League member Kimberley Spire-Oh provided the information leading to these interviews.

Some background on Florida public school support for students with exceptionalities provides perspective on the availability of support for these children whether in public or private schools.

Teachers certified to work with children with disabilities are scarce and tend to work for public, not private schools.  Supporting these children in private schools is expensive, and they have no obligation to accept children.  The State provides McKay Scholarships for students to attend a private school if they have an IEP or 504 program .  For students with a high level disability defined in law, Gardiner Scholarships are available.  Having the scholarship allows parents to shop in the private sector for a school.  It does not require private schools to accept those students.

Parents have the right to send their children to public schools, but not to private schools.  You can see the right for your child to be education on the Office of Civil Rights website.  An overview of the disability discrimination laws that protect children’s right to a public education are here.  The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) outlines the responsibilities that public schools have.

Support for educating students with disabilities is dependent upon funding.  This year funding for students in public schools from federal IDEA sources was reduced to $1,301 per student.

The Florida Department of Education website for Exceptional Student Education is located here.  State ESE funding is part of the FEFP per student funding formula and included $1,055,304,596.  Note that the funding is part of the weighted per student state allocation.  Weighting is the same for ESE students as for other students except for Levels four and five.  These students with higher level disabilities receive more intense, specialized services as defined here.

We need to do a study of the every day realities of providing support for students with exceptionalities.

Scott Facing Increasing Pressure: Have you called yet?

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The Florida News Service reports the mounting pressure on Governor Scott to veto HB 7069 and part of the State budget. We need to keep the pressure up.  Call his office and send a message:

  • (850) 488-7146

  • Email http://www.flgov.com/contact-gov-scott/email-the-governor/  (Note that emails become public record.)

Tell the Governor that:

  • The budget results in a net loss for many school districts.
  • Sharing capital outlay funds with charters is not cost effective.  Many small schools increase facility costs and decrease needed maintenance.
  • Charter take over of public schools solves nothing.  Charter students in five of seven Florida cities do worse than similar students in public schools.

The Senate proposal for education was a practical, reasonable approach to education funding.  Ask the Governor to reconvene the legislature and do what is needed.

 

Poll: Most Americans Feel Fine about Choice? Not True

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The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research says that 58% of people don’t know much about charter schools.  Even more, 66%, know little or nothing about private school vouchers.  Nevertheless, 47% favor expanding charters and 43% would expand vouchers.  Media headlines say most Americans support choice, but this is misleading.  Most Americans either are opposed or have no opinion.  The report found that four in ten believed that the country in general would benefit from more choice.

The poll has value. It made me think.  See what you think!

 

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A Lesson in Advocacy from California: Money and People Power

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Money and people power in California are shifting the balance of influence in the California legislature. For years, the legislature listened closely to the public school interests.  Teachers, parents and unions wielded great power.  Now the charter sector is gaining ground.  In 2016, a bill to regulate charter enrollment and how they discipline students was assured of passing; it did not.  In this account, the advocacy strategies explain the defeat.

 

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Eagle Arts Charter in Chaos But OPEN in Palm Beach

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For over two years, this scandal drags on in one of Palm Beach’s largest charter schools.  Now the school is in complete chaos.  Principals come and go within weeks of each other.  One third of the teachers have left. Books do not arrive.  The owner of the school has legal issues.  He charged the school for preparing the proposal to open the school.  He also has a combative personality.

When parents complained, he attacked.  He called the sheriff claiming a parent hacked into his computer system.  Why?  The parent had organized an online petition to clean up the school’s management problems.  Over two hundred families left the school.  He recruited more with glossy ads emphasizing an arts infused curriculum.  The much heralded dance program had no teacher.  Children wanting to play instruments had to pay extra for after school lessons.

Some children love the carefree atmosphere, but their test scores have plummeted.  The school grade is down to a ‘D’.  Forty percent of the students passed the State’s English Language Arts test and 24% passed the math.  This is not a low income school, yet it is near the bottom in academic achievement.

Who is to blame for this fiasco?  The district is investigating, but the charter school law does not give them authority to clean up the mess until serious criminal charges or total academic failure are evident.  Self dealing is evidently still allowed.

Parents are told they can leave; that is their only recourse.  The State of Florida does not intervene.  After all, even though charters are ‘public schools’, they are run by private businesses.  If a businessman wants to run the school into the ground, he can.

I watched a similar situation occur in Gainesville.  Watching was all I could do.  Half the parents and most teachers left.  The school district shook their heads.  The school is still open.  The only thing public in charter schools is the money funding them.

This is the direction the Florida legislature is headed.  If we want it stopped, they need to know.  Tell them over and over again.

 

 

 

 

The Worst of a Bad Budget

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The League is adding its voice to calls for a veto of HB 7069.  Share with everyone.  We need a blitz.

The WORST of a BAD BUDGET

Florida revenue is up, but education funding has been cut.  The legislature sent a message that our schools, teachers, and students are not valued.  What’s the evidence?

House bill HB 7069:

 

 

 

 

  • Substitutes a teacher bonus system for a few rather than give all teachers a needed raise in spite of a looming teacher shortage. Teachers in most charters have lower salaries and no benefits which seems to be the attraction to many politicians even if quality is compromised.
  • Takes desperately needed local school facility funding and gives it to privately owned charters. Miami-Dade schools alone estimate an $81 million dollar loss.
  • Strips local control of low performing schools from districts and turns them over to charter chains. Then, it provides $140 million in State funds to these privately owned chains.
  • Creates High Impact Charter Systems that are independent of locally elected school boards. If things go wrong, parents must complain to Tallahassee.

The Florida House promotes school choice instead of supporting schools governed by elected school boards.  The consequences are becoming clear.  The U.S. Department of Civil Rights cited Florida for increasing segregation through its charter system.  Charters also select fewer students with disabilities and language learners.

It is time to recognize that, in the charter system, parents do not choose schools; schools choose students.  If the choice does not work, the students are ‘counseled out’.

Charters have high teacher turnover, real estate debt, and according to the national CREDO Urban Cities study, lower student achievement than comparable public school students.  After three years, Florida public school students, initially matched on test scores, clearly out performed charter students in five of seven of our cities.

Parents do have a choice to make.  Will they ask Governor Scott to veto this attempt to take over our schools?  Will they tell the legislature that our children deserve better?

Right These Wrongs, The League Says

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Governor Scott is considering vetoing the entire budget as well as HB 7069, the massive education bill.  Encourage him!  (850) 488-7146.   The Miami Herald published the League call to action.

The budget:

 

 

 

  • reduces per student funding.
  • shares capital outlay with charters.  Charters already get a disproportionate amount of available state capital outlay money.  Many districts would be unable to maintain roofs and air conditioning.
  • creates Schools of Hope which are charter take overs of district schools.  The bill is acknowledged to be difficult to implement.  It gives money to struggling schools after charters take them over, not before when districts could do something to help.

Charters in Florida are not known to do as well as public schools, according to the latest CREDO Urban Cities report.  Over three years in four of six major Florida cities, public school students outperform students matched on initial achievement scores.

High performing charters in other states are known to have student high attrition.  Students who do not do well are ‘counseled out’.  Forty percent of black males leave KIPP schools between grades six and eight, according to a 2017 Ed Week report. 

What is the advantage of dismissing nearly half of your students?  This is the turn around Schools of Hope.  Give the funding to districts and help them succeed.  They are OUR schools.

League Calls For Budget Veto: You can too!

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Choruses of voices are calling ‘foul’ on this year’s legislative budget.  The League of Women Voters sent a letter to Governor Scott detailing the savaging of public schools and the back room approach to doing so.  Short shrift for Florida Forever as well makes this budget an agenda driven attack on the public interest.  Want to call his office?  Use:  (850) 717-9337.

See the letter written by Pamela Goodman.  The announcement was made in yesterday’s Capital Report.