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Spectacular Charter Fraud in Michigan
Diane Ravitch posted a story from Michigan. It could have happened in Florida. I am reposting it here. When Senator Gaetz said it was time to end the private enrichment schemes in Florida’s charters, he was right. Unfortunately, his version of the choice bill did not make it through the 2016 legislature. It would have tied public money to public ownership of school facilities.
Michigan has a greater percentage of for-profit charters than does Florida. They have little oversight. The same is true here. We really do not want to play the ‘who has the greatest scandal’ game. We need to push our legislators to curb the exploitation of public funds.
Citizens for Strong Schools Closing Arguments
The testimony and closing arguments have been made. Now both sides need to put their arguments in a particular format for the judge by April 25th. He then takes the arguments under consideration and will make a ruling. Win or lose, the decision is likely to be appealed.
When you listen to the two sides, a few points stand out:
PreK Quantity or Quality?
PreK children miss out on needed funds. In this Orlando Sentinel article, you will read that for the third year in a row, state funds for little children remain stagnant. There are 169,000 Florida four year olds in VPK. This is about 78% of eligible children. The budget is $394 million or $2,437 per child. This is one of the largest number of children who receive state support for VPK in the nation, but it is one of the smallest amount of money per student. As you might expect, standards are low, and many teachers have no college education. Programs that can raise money in their communities, but the reality is that quality varies widely.
In 2014, Representative Marlene O’Toole sponsored a bill in the legislature to raise standards and improve quality. It died in session. Maybe next year will be a preK year. It is up to the voters to help the legislature set priorities. The League needs to get the word out.
A Teacher Speaks Out
Once in awhile a very powerful message cuts through all of the data. This Teacher of the Year in Oklahoma tells it like it is.
She is speaking to the Oklahoma legislature, but she could be speaking to Florida’s. The message is the same; the problems are the same in Florida.
We have teaching testifying in the Citizens for Strong Schools trial that is going on in Tallahassee. Their voices and yours need to reach everyone.
Read this teacher’s message. Write your own and send it to me. Let’s tell it like it is. See the Open Letter to Oklahoma Voters and Lawmakers. It tells a story that cannot be ignored. If we want our schools to be better, our communities have to support ALL of our children or we all suffer.
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- League Members visit the office of Senator Marco Rubio
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- League Members wait to see Senator Bill Nelson
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- Education Team at the Department of Education
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