Join campaign to save public schools
Florida’s efforts to save public education started Saturday, the day a new state law went into effect that forces public school districts to divert taxpayer dollars to privately run charter and religious schools.
Ina cynical effort to expand school choice, the Republican-led Florida Legislature concocted HB 7069, a bill crafted behind closed doors and sprung on state lawmakers in the closing days of the legislative session. Gov. Rick Scott signed the bill into law, despite overwhelming opposition from educators, parents, school superintendents and school board members.
Floridians should not let this onerous law stand. Now is the time to start the political groundswell that will persuade state leaders to craft new legislation to stop the damage HB 7069 will do to our public schools.
Florida has never been in a sweet spot when it comes to funding public schools. According to the most recent Census data, the national average for per-pupil spending is around $11,000. In Florida, the figure is just over $7,296, a 1.3 percent increase over last year. The figure puts our state closer to the bottom of most national rankings.
Charter schools have always been part of Florida’s educational mix. They are publicly funded but independently operated. They are not a part of the traditional public school system, nor are they subject to the same regulations of accountability that govern public schools.
Some have made great strides in helping to educate disabled students and students living in low-income communities. Others, unfortunately, have been nothing more than fly-by-night operations, preying on parents who only wanted a good education for their children.
On July 1, these schools — good and bad — became entitled to a public windfall. Public schools now have to give up a portion of their revenue that would have been used to fix aging classrooms or help low-income students reach academic success.
Palm Beach County schools will lose $10.6 million in the upcoming 201718 school year, and that will swell to about $92 million over the next five years.
Florida has ample school choice options, including charter schools, home schools, magnet schools, religious schools and school vouchers, not to mention the nation’s largest tax credit scholarship program. Still, most of Florida’s schoolchildren attend public schools, and their interests shouldn’t be hurt by a bad law out of Tallahassee.
Public education remains a key building block for Florida and the nation. Good schools hold the keys to growing and vibrant communities in the Sunshine State. Well-educated students become model citizens and members of the highly trained workforces that bolster our local and state economies.
Public schools should be celebrated. Instead, our state now boasts of a law that undermines them in favor of a largely unregulated private school industry. If you believe in reforming Florida’s public school system, now is the time to get engaged in a renewed effort to save it.