REALLY BAD BILL: SB 1028

Don’t give our local money away!  Senator Hutson, (Flagler, St. Johns and Volusia counties) filed a bill that gives the State of Florida the right to determine how funds from local school referenda are distributed. This means that if, as was done in many counties in 2018, local voters taxed themselves to support their schools, the money could be given to charters or other agencies. If the governor gets his new voucher proposal passed to fund private school tuition, could our tax money go there too? Suppose voters in a district passed a referendum to raise their teacher salaries, as Miami Dade did, they would have to share with charter schools.

Charter school proliferation is a big reason that school district funding has gone down in the first place. Charters take money from public schools. There are 654 of them, and they keep opening and closing. It is a waste of money to have so many that are not needed. Other states cap the number of charters, not Florida.

The bill language says “local funding approved by voter referendum” can be apportioned by the state. The legislature is constantly eroding local government control. This one is outrageous.

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