While Circuit Court Judge Reynolds denied a request for a summary judgment to halt the voucher and tax credit scholarship programs, the Citizens for Strong Schools case continues. The judge ruled that the attorneys for the case did not show harm to the defendants due to vouchers and tax credit scholarships for private schools, but argument could be made when the case comes to trial in March, 2016.
Category Archives: Tax credit scholarships
Florida Voucher Issue Rejected by Circuit Court
The Florida Educational Association lawsuit was thrown out of court recently, as you know.
Another case, Citizens for Strong Schools, is working through the courts. It hit a bump in the road. In a December 7th article reported by the Associated Press, Judge Reynolds rejected a portion of the Citizen’s for Strong Schools lawsuit dealing with vouchers. The issue was lack of legal standing. What does this mean? What happens next?
Florida Tax Credit Scholarships Abused
Sending public money to private schools is unconstitutional in Florida. The legislature gets around the law by allowing corporations to claim tax credits if they donate their tax obligations to foundations that provide scholarships to private schools.
We do not know much about these schools. They are shielded from disclosure laws public schools face. Evidently, at least someone in the DOE is watching. According to the Florida News Service, here’s one private religious school facing the loss of state scholarships.
FTC Supporters Spam the League
Sometimes we had spam when I was a child. Never liked it much and still do not. So I just trash it.
Have you received email and Facebook posts asking the League to drop the lawsuit against the corporate tax rebate scholarships to private schools? They have been showing up around the state. Seems like an unprofessional and ineffective activity for a quasi state program. Since most messages appear all at once from different locations, you know that it is an organized effort. I just delete them.
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.
Making Your Voices Heard
There are many ways to be heard. Responding to the DOE webinar and survey is one. Writing your legislators both at the state and national levels is another. Showing up at school board meetings can help. In the end, we will also need the courts.
There is a lawsuit: Citizens for Strong Schools that comes to trial in March. The suit supports public schools based on Florida’s constitutional requirement for a unified, strong, efficient, high quality system. Note the word ‘unified’. The school reform movement advocates privatizing our schools by creating charters and tax credit scholarships to private schools.
Testing is the accountability strategy for school reform.
Southern Legal Counsel is the firm that has filed the Citizen’s for Strong Schools lawsuit. They are operating pro bono. If you can help them raise money to cover expenses, then go to their website. You can donate there. Just click the DONATE button. Any amount can help.
Testing, When is Enough, Enough?
I wrote this piece as a lead in to the testing forum sponsored by the Gainesville Sun on September 16th. The issues are there. So are some ways to think a little differently about current tests and testing alternatives. The article was published today. It starts like this: “Florida has been using tests to drive instruction for years”. It ends with putting Florida’s legislature to the test. In between are some ways to think about improving our schools. See the article here.
Nathan Crabbe, the Gainesville Sun’s editor, announced a forum on testing to be held on September 16th at 6 p.m. in Pugh Hall on the University of Florida campus. He will moderate a panel that includes Superintendent Owen Roberts, Sue Legg (President Alachua County League of Women Voters, Susan Bowles (Teacher of the Year), and Shan Goff, Foundation for Excellence in Education.
Latest Florida Tax Credit Scholarship Report Released
There is a new FTC scholarship program evaluator this year. Florida State University’s Learning Systems Institute took over from Northwestern’s University’s David Figlio.
Are the results for the 2013-14 data different?
Past State Board of Education Chair Says It is all about Money!
Tax credit vouchers are supposed to give poor children an option out of a failing school. Gary Chartrand, former Chair, Florida State Board of Education, tells it like it really is.
Chartrand makes a case that getting children from poor families out of public schools saves the rest of us money. There may be another not so hidden agenda that Chartrand forgets to mention.
Perspectives on Reform: Another Time to Step Back and Reconsider
You may have noticed a shift in focus on the blog recently. Every once in awhile this happens. I will tell you why. Call it critical thinking and problem solving? Continue reading