Florida Supreme Court Tosses Amendment 8

The League of Women Voters case against Amendment 8 wins in the Florida Supreme Court. It will be removed from the November 6th ballot. The vagueness of the amendment language and its misleading title: “School Board Term Limits and Duties; Public Schools” was the basis for the justices’ 3 to 4 ruling. This is significant in many ways.

The decision puts a roadblock in the effort to create an alternative charter school system. This is a basic goal of the school privatization effort. No doubt some legislators will continue to push proposals to remove any local school board control of charter schools. In reality, local public schools have little ability now to oversee these charters, but they must authorize new charters. Removing this power to authorize charters is seen as limiting the expansion of charters.

The amendment included three unrelated proposals. In addition to the proposed removal of local school board authority to authorize charter schools were two additional proposals. The first one was to impose term limits on school board members. The second proposal was to require civics in K12 curriculum. Civics is already required in the Florida curriculum; it just was not in the constitution. All three proposals are now removed from the ballot.

This is just another step in the long journey to reaffirm the importance of our public school system.

Posted in Admission/Dismissal, Advocacy, Authorization, Charter School Management, Charter Schools, Constitutionality, Florida, Lawsuits, Public Education.

6 Comments

  1. In the U.S., public schools belong to school districts, which are governed by school boards. There is a near urgent need for all leagues to work in unison with local school boards to maintain authority in the 67 school districts in Florida. The CRC really tried to pull a fast one with their carefully crafted language in Amendment 8. Ask yourself. Who do you trust to establish and manage the schools in Florida, that your local tax dollars will pay for: corporate owned bureaucrats and profiteers in Tallahassee or Washington or your locally elected school board?

  2. Outstanding. It looked a little less in the favor of The League of Women Voters during the Chief Justices’ questioning. It looked like it would be close with the questions four of the Justices’ were asking. I am so happy it’s over. At least this round.

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