Last year, HB7069 was signed into Florida law. This bill was more of a package of laws, including the expansion of vouchers, allowing for Schools of Hope to replace low performing public schools, and requiring capital outlays to charter schools. These statutory changes were not without consequence locally. With more favorable conditions for charter schools, Academica’s Pinecrest Academy is applying for charter school status in Sarasota County. The Miami Herald analyzed Academica back in 2011, and the amount of state dollars flowing to this private company was staggering even then. At that time, Academica had 44 schools in South Florida. They now list over 110 schools in Florida.In Manatee County, Daughtrey and Oneco elementary schools may be threatened with Schools of Hope corporate charter school takeovers, if they don't improve their school grades next year.
This funneling of millions of tax dollars to private and corporate charter schools accelerated in 2018 with HB 7055. HB 7055 will
- Create a new voucher program that will provide state money to students who claim they are being bullied in public schools so they can attend the private school of their choice,
- Allow businesses to direct the sales tax they pay away from the state’s coffers and, instead, into an account for a voucher program, which pays for students with mental or physical disabilities to attend private school, and
- Target teachers unions with a requirement that if a local union does not have at least 50 percent of its district’s teachers as members, they could lose their certification and their right to bargain on behalf of teachers and other school employees.
Not to be outdone by the Legislature, the Florida Constitution Revision Commission has proposed a Constitutional Amendment to impose state-level control and approval of public charter schools. This would allow charter schools to be approved regardless of opposition from local citizens or the local School Board. They have bundled this proposal with two other proposals in an apparent effort to mislead voters or, perhaps, to make the idea more palatable to them. Voters still have a chance to vote this proposal down on Election Day.These statutory and constitutional changes are called education reform by some. In reality, they further the agenda of school privatizers. Year after year, public schools struggle to pay for teachers, textbooks, school buildings, and everything in between, while more money is siphoned into private and corporate-controlled schools. Connect with Manasota POPS, if you want to help defeat legislation and policies that weaken and drain the resources of public schools.
