Well, this is a hopeful sign. A Republican the state senate in Florida has proposed to change the charter law so that it focuses on the neediest children, the ones for whom charters were first created. With the house leadership firmly controlled by Rep. Eric Fresen, whose brother-in-law owns one of the largest and most profitable charter chains in the state, the two houses of the legislature may be on a collision course. Rep. Fresen always takes care of the charter industry.
Sue Legg, who has studied Florida charter schools on behalf of the state League of Women Voters, wrote with the following information:
A recent Senate President, Don Gaetz, proposed a bill this week to curb ‘private enrichment’ facilities schemes by charter school management firms and their real estate arms. He acknowledged that the legislature has gotten away from the original intent for charters schools. His bill would prioritize charters serving impoverished students and/or those with disabilities.
Florida has over 650 charter schools, over a third are run by for-profit firms. The legislature, the Governor, the Department of Education and the State Board of Education are all strong charter supporters.
This is the first time that a staunch Republican legislator has publically acknowledged the rampant charter exploitation and abuse and taken meaningful steps to curb it. It even addresses public ownership of facilities. The bill is not perfect; it may not pass. However, Senator Gaetz calls for “Charters with a Conscience”. Sometimes you just have to share the good news.
Senator Gaetz is thinking about what is right. He and Rep. Fresen (HB 873) are squaring off over charter school funding for facilities. Both bills would reduce the amount of capital outlay dollars public schools can assess through local property taxes. According to the Miami Herald, Senator Gaetz’s bill would also crack down on ‘private enrichment’ schemes that charter management firms use to build and lease facilities for which they charge exorbitant rates.
Charter board members would have to swear that capital outlay funds would only be used for facilities. Funds would be awarded only to public entities, a 501(c)(3) specifying in its articles of incorporation that all property will return to specified public entities upon dissolution, or is owned by or leased to a person or entity who is not an affiliated party to the charter school.
The Senate proposal has some other very good features. It would reconfigure the funding formula to prioritize those charters that offer quality alternative schools for impoverished students or those with disabilities. Certain charters would receive a base capital outlay allocation from state funds, but those that serve at least 75% of children qualifying for free or reduced lunch or 25% of children with ESE, would receive an additional twenty five percent or fifty percent if both criteria are met. The Miami Herald quotes Senator Gaetz who suggested that ‘…we want to weight it for those charters that have a social conscience’.
The bill does not take capital outlay money away from traditional public schools for charter schools. It does, however, change the formula for how the money is allocated.
There are some ‘gotchas’ in the Senate bill. The legislature still needs to work with districts to create viable policy. Nevertheless, Senator Gaetz appears to recognize that unregulated school choice benefits some companies more than children.
And the meaning of “quality alternative schools” is ???
Last Thursday evening, the current Senate president announced that the Senate Education Committee would not meet for the remainder of the legislative session unless specifically requested. This means that the House constitutional amendment to create a separate charter system would not be heard in the Senate. A proposal to allow municipalities to form their own districts, separate from the county school boards, is also dead. Something may be shifting.
Sue Legg,
I hope you will write more about what’s happening in the Florida legislature
Senator Gaetz is about to get term limited out. It took him a looooong time to come around to the realization that Republican privatization is really crony capitalism and corporate welfare. Let’s hope he has enough political clout left to get his legislation through the process and signed by the governor. It’s a long shot.
In st. louis…..the public schools had the appointed board ( three people to guarantee the charters get what they want) were extended three more years….the elected board is still there and is “disappointed”, I spent hours documenting the lies told by the Post Dispatch in supporting this…..today, as the publisher proudly announced a new archives which goes back to 1874——–he was given a hard way to go…….I challenged him to find in his archives a story by David Hunn…still employed as a reporter a 2008 story about the disastrous collapse of a Texas can charter in St. Louis…..I went ahead and printed it out because I saved it in my e-mails….I told Peter Greene about it….I am not sure whether it is a significant story—-which I documented with several examples—-if stories which reflect badly on the decisions made regarding the takeover have been wiped off the internet…….there is a lot more……look for the saturday story about the new archives….Gilbert Bailon….and the comments it drew, several from me—the examples I used are pretty good……..it is a lonely feeling to feel so strongly about something…..but if David thinks it is not all that much of a story….I will respect him and Diane.
I was surprised he ran his story word for word in the Sunday edition….so…..I added this: ” Interesting that Mr. Bailon reprinted the same article, ran it in the Sunday paper—I was going to post an apology, assuming that he had checked my claims and found them non-existent….all the items I mentioned are actually available if you have minimal computer skills…….I thought I might be subject to litigation, and if so…..well…..maybe I was asking for it. Not sure if I should post a retraction from the Diane’s Florida charter story, and I have not yet heard from the curmudgucator. On the other hand…..I suppose it is possible that “David Hunn
ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH
05/22/2008” simply does not exist in these archives. I was having breakfast with a non pd journalist…….he compared the use of the internet to MacDonald’s giving their burgers away free…….I told him you were getting complaints about the costs involved in using this feature…..so far…..I feel like I am getting extra fries.
Not sure if I need to furnish a link….the only place I know of in which this story (several thousand words) exists in my emails…..I cannot yet prove it, but the things which are missing from archives have to do with the takeover which will last eleven years now….there were illegalities alleged…..and the failures of charter schools like texas can……..If anyone knows David Hunn…..ask him what he thinks of his work now being hidden from the public…..if it would suddenly reappear…..what a fool I would be revealed to be…..fine with me……By David Hunn
ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH
05/22/2008
ST. LOUIS — Students played cards in class one day this week, as they do most days now.
Others watched movies or milled about in the halls, loud and aimless. The teacher sat at his desk, filling out job applications.
The Can! Academies of St. Louis, a charter school for high school dropouts, started this past fall on Goodfellow Boulevard, just south of Interstate 70.
Today, the state school board is expected to vote to close it, at least for one year.
Its failure has led critics to again question Missouri’s growing but still controversial charter school movement. Can is one of the first charters to open after a request from the office of Mayor Francis Slay, who is championing the schools as alternatives to a troubled city school system. It is also the first charter directly under the wing of the state department of education.
Right on. Who would have thought that in 2016, the Republican front runner would be saying that the Iraq war was a mistake and winning? If charter schools are made honest, it will probably have to be the Republicans to do it.
TC, interesting point. Maybe a Republican will call out the charter industry for profiteering and destroying communities, also for wasting taxpayer dollars
Republicans might have to be the ones to take on Gulen, too
I found an interesting tidbit re: charter schools, I’m not sure how to send tips to Diane so I’ll leave it here.
The Bill and Hillary Clinton Foundation gave $10,000 to the Andre Agassi Foundation for Education in 2010. I haven’t examined the 990s for other years, there might be other brow-raisers out there.
See page 33: http://990s.foundationcenter.org/990pf_pdf_archive/300/300048438/300048438_201012_990PF.pdf
Interesting take. This conservative, pro-Republican newpaper editorial send a different message than one of hope:
http://www.bradenton.com/opinion/editorials/article61336762.html
Let’s hope that this tiny chink in Tallahassee’s mass privatization scheme can grow…. an informed public is our best weapon. I think that pointing out that public tax dollars are shoveled into a funnel, and exit into corporate pockets. is an excellent way to get some folks’ attention.