Both Sides Pressuring Scott on School Bill That Drew Protest Firestorm from...
The bill's passage infuriated school boards, superintendents, the state's main teachers and other education advocates. Scott hinted that he was considering a veto at the time. The post Both Sides...
View ArticleCounty Eliminates 15 Jobs, Outsourcing Janitorial Contract Commissioners Had...
Three years ago then-Flagler Commissioner Barbara Revels saved the jobs, arguing they were more important than outsourcing's modest savings. This time, the commission voted 5-0 to outsource. The post...
View ArticleTeacher Unions Protected But Public Funding of Private School Students Advances
The Florida Senate rejected a House proposal to dissolve teacher unions if membership falls below a certain point, but also approved a version of a school voucher program funding private school...
View ArticleJudge Rejects Local Districts’ Challenge of Controversial Law Shifting Money...
The controversy highlights continuing tensions between local school districts and the state about oversight and expansion of charter schools, which are public schools but are often run by private...
View ArticleTo Protect Public Use of Private Beachfronts, Flagler Calls on Memories of...
To ward off a new state law potentially allowing private property owners to fence off beach sands, the Flagler County Commission is enacting an ordinance to preserve public use and forbid fencing. The...
View Article“Parent Trigger” Bill Advances In Backdoor Victory for Charter School Lobby
Supporters say the proposal will improve chances for children trapped in failing schools.Opponents worry that politically savvy for-profit corporations could encourage parents to back the charter...
View ArticleParent Trigger Bill That Would Boost Conversions to Charter Schools Nearing Law
The measure would allow parents to petition their school board to adopt a specific turnaround option for any school that draws an "F" on state report cards for two straight years. The post Parent...
View ArticleParent Trigger Bill: A Trojan Horse of Corporate Charter Schools
The so-called parent-trigger bill does not empower parents. Rather, it empowers out-of-state corporate interests and their lobbyists to siphon Florida tax dollars away from our already underfunded...
View ArticleCharter-School Trigger Bill Passes House 68-51; Flagler’s Hutson Among...
Rep. Travis Hutson was among the Republicans crossing party lines to oppose the bill, favered by the charter-school movement, as it would let parents petition their school district to consider a...
View ArticleParent-Trigger Bill Fails on Tie Vote in Setback for Charters and Jeb Bush’s...
In a stunning vote Tuesday, the Senate rejected on a tie vote a controversial bill that would have given parents the ability to register their wishes with a district that's choosing how to turn around...
View ArticleFlorida’s Corporate Step-Up Scheme: 51,075 Students Now Enrolled in Private...
Under the program, corporations are allowed to take tax credits for money that they contribute to Step Up for Students, which then uses those funds to essentially provide private-school vouchers. The...
View ArticleBill Vastly Expanding School Vouchers Dies As Questions About Accountability...
The decision represents a defeat for the GOP's Will Weatherford, who was home schooled as a child and strongly pushed the expansion of the system, which gives companies tax credits for donating to...
View ArticleThe Problem With “Step Up for Students,” Florida’s Voucher Jockey
Step Up For Children CEO Doug Tuthill is shameless about the way his organization--the administrative agent for Florida’s school voucher program--spends lavishly on political races, which may explain...
View Article“Opportunity Scholarships”: Lawmakers Revive Vast Expansion of School...
The House Education Appropriations Subcommittee voted 8-4 to introduce the measure, which would bind together a program aimed at students with disabilities and the voucher expansion. Senate leaders...
View ArticleVoucher Scams: Floridians Should Be Fighting the Privatization of Public Schools
We’re decades into a war waged by shadowy business interests and religious groups, working through “cooperative” legislators and governors to gradually undermine most of the state’s public schools and...
View ArticleJudge Throws Out Union’s Challenge of School Voucher Expansion, But Only on...
The judge gave opponents of the law 15 days to try to amend their complaint and come up with another way to challenge the legislation after ruling that the plaintiff in the challenge, teacher Tom...
View ArticleLawsuit Opposing School Voucher Expansion Is Thrown Out Again, Likely Ending...
A judge rebuffed claims by a teacher and two parents who joined the new lawsuit that the expansion of the Tax Credit Scholarship Program hurt them because it could lead to reduced funding for their...
View ArticleDon’t Privatize The Postal Service. Build On It.
Blaming deficits created by a bogus retirement-fund requirement, the USPS is closing distribution centers, cutting worker hours, eliminating delivery routes, and slashing jobs. It needn't be that way,...
View ArticleParty On: Flagler Beach Commission Approves Policy For Private Events on...
The Flgler Beach City Commission Thursday voted 4-0 to approve a new policy regulating how the Flagler Beach pier may be rented out for private parties--and closed to the general public--up to six...
View ArticleLawmakers Are Reducing Florida’s Public Schools To Factories of Failure and...
Time to take a good look at whether the changes we’ve endured — mass privatization, real-dollar funding decreases, high-stakes testing, and loss of local school board authority — gets us closer to...
View ArticleFlorida’s GOP Lawmakers Accelerate Plan To Use Far More Public Dollars for...
The House Education Committee on Thursday approved a bill (PCB EDC 19-01) that would create a new voucher program, known as the Family Empowerment Scholarship program, which would be open to many...
View ArticleFlorida Senate Proposal Would Vastly Expand “School Choice” and Use of Tax...
The legislation, filed by Republican Sen. Manny Diaz of Hialeah, would expand eligibility for school-voucher programs, consolidate existing school-choice programs and allow parents to use...
View ArticleSenate Panel Signs Off on Vast Expansion of Use of Tax Dollars for Private...
The measure (SB 48), filed by Republican Sen. Manny Diaz of Hialeah, would expand eligibility for school-voucher programs and allow parents to use taxpayer-backed education savings accounts for private...
View ArticleGov. DeSantis Could Use a Civics Lesson on the Florida Constitution
Even as they push a $106 million proposal to improve civics education, our legislators and our governor persist in violating the Constitution by supporting legislation authorizing programs to send...
View ArticleSharp Acceleration of Shifting Tax Dollars to Private Schools Clears Senate...
The proposal also would increase the maximum income eligibility to receive vouchers to 375 percent of the federal poverty level, meaning a family of four making nearly $100,000 a year would qualify....
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