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Cheating the Children
by Pat Drago
Some policies are all about money. When these come up, Fl. Representative Manny Diaz is often around. He is the Dean at Doral College, the non-accredited place that offers dual enrollment online courses to charter school students taught by their high school teachers. The credit doesn’t transfer, but maybe it saves money. Now, Rep. Diaz is in the news again. See how he wants to save money.
Which Companies Fund Tax Credit Vouchers?
A report from the Orlando Sentinel says tax credit revenue from Florida corporations is down this year. The money is used to fund scholarships for 70,000 children to private schools.
Florida voters rejected these scholarships but the legislature has a work around. They let corporations donate their taxes and bypass the state treasury. One of the alcoholic beverage companies that helps fund scholarships came up $9 million short this year. Step Up for Students, the private group that administers the scholarships will have to make up the difference.
Who are these companies?
Adding New Charter Schools: Will FSU Know Best?
Who should approve new charter schools–local districts or the state? Would a university institute funded by the legislature do a better job? Now the State Board of Education has the final say. But, they do not always get it right.
Legislation moving through the Florida House and Senate includes a provision to create the Florida State University Charter School Institute. It would review charter proposals and conduct evaluation studies. Will FSU be able to improve the charter authorization process? Can it evaluate local needs, or do they not matter? If a form is filled out correctly, is that enough to make a charter school a valuable contribution to a local district?
I watched the April School Board of Education meeting. A comment was made about how fortunate Florida was to have the DOE, the Governor, and the legislature all on the same school reform page. Yet, when the attorney for Palm Beach County spoke about denials of charter schools, it is clear that there are practical, important issues that are too easily dismissed. Some checks and balances are needed.
Charter vs. TPS: Latest CREDO Study Results
CREDO’s 2015 report on charter achievement in urban areas gives a different twist on the data. You can find results by urban areas in each state.
I looked at Florida. Our charters do not do as well as in other states. The data is broken down by demographics, grade span, across years and annual results from 2007-2011. Comparisons are made for achievement gains for students in charters and a matched set of students in traditional public schools (TPS) in the areas that charters serve. And the winners by Florida school district are?
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