This bill HB 1145 has measures that you need to know. The Florida House version is working out administrative kinks. The Senate version will be heard tomorrow. Learn what is at stake.
- Open enrollment is extended statewide. Students can go anywhere if there is space. Some urban districts already have student transfer agreements with other counties. Why does the State need to intercede?
- Rural districts are concerned about the high impact of losing students. Some charter schools that locate near district boundaries would benefit at the expense of small, rural district schools.
- This bill includes a provision that provides for adjunct teachers who are not required to be certified.
The Senate will hear its version of the bill tomorrow. It is SB 1552 sponsored by Sen. Benacquisto. This bill includes the pilot charter district provision. It would allow districts to exempt some district schools from public school regulations and give principals more authority over hiring and firing personnel. They would form a ‘charter district’ within the public school district.
Senate voted 7 to 4 to approve SB-1552. An approval to send children to charter schools in other counties. A sweeping bill that would make a slew of changes making good Gov Rick Scott’s budget proposal of $100,000 million for charter school construction. Several weeks ago, the Village of Royal Palm Beach’s Education Advisory Board unanimously rejected a proposed charter high school to be run by CUSA. CUSA promoted it as giving parents a choice, board members noted there are already 3 high-schools 2 private and one B rated district school. “How are our students better served” asked board Chairman Lynn Balch at the meeting. What’s more, Charter school graduation rates in the county dropped 1.1 percentage points to 36,2 percent in 2014, compared with 84.3 percent for traditional district schools. Does that point to “choice” that Royal Palm Beach parents need, or just another potential profit center for CUSA?