Here we go with the Great Money Heist in Florida.
HB7069 passed both houses of the legislature and will go to Governor Rick Scott for his signature.
In two posts, Sue M. Legg of the League of Women Voters analyzes the devastating impact of this budget bill for public schools. She hopes that Governor Scott will veto the bill. As she explains, money is being shifted to charter organizations and taken away from traditional public schools. Ten percent of the students in the state are enrolled in charter schools, but the needs of the ninety percent are ignored. The bill reduces base student funding, so that it is lower than it was a decade ago.
She writes:
The provisions to require local districts to share capital outlay with charter schools is untenable. It will cost districts already struggling with aging facilities, millions of dollars. The Schools of Hope proposal allocates $140 million for charter school takeovers of low performing public schools.
Creating charter systems that control groups of charters surely must stress the Florida constitutional requirement for a ‘uniform system of high quality schools’. These systems become their own local education agencies. This is a legal term that is now allocated to elected school boards. The systems would be able to receive funding directly with no oversight from districts.
The shift in the allocation of Title I funds for low income students also is adversely affected by the bill. Low performing schools would get the bulk of the money which then would go with Schools of Hope. The implications are far reaching if money is spread too thinly to support extra reading, tutoring and other services many children need.
Reblogged this on David R. Taylor-Thoughts on Education and commented:
wow
Just scanned Scott’s 6-yr history as gov, during which time FL has continued its race to the bottom public-ed-wise. Can’t picture him vetoing this bill. He seems to be all about starving the beast & releasing the fickle finger of the free market.
Yes the hunter is coming in for the “beast” thru the back door and is attacking the poor as they have no voice. The sheeple teachers in this state should be writing letters to the newspapers, letting parents/public know what will happen once they get their grip on schools (start in a poverty area………..kick out and back to public ed the kids that have behavior /learning problems-yet keep the $$…..(to further break the legs of choking districts),wait for public ed schools which (which given the “new” population will then fail and them also taken over). A systematic shutdown. Once the entire system is taken over they have now have total control. Next on the agenda: out comes blended learning (only this time ALL learning will take place behind a computer screen with a minimum wage facilitator hapily walks between rows ver very engages and smiling learning-we actually saw a commercial for this in a faculty meeting), and just THINK of the possibilities of where that can go–not all students will learn what they need for a well rounded education, some groups might not be really educated at all…….) The scenarios are endless and frightening as hell. Yet as educators we just follow and cower and don’t question. This whole debaucle is Bi-Partisian. It has been all along. The problem is we have both sides in this country divided (on issues that won’t matter once they have control) and diverted (ironically on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram-ha the irony of technology) as their master plan unfolds on us.
Jeb Bush laid out the plan in his statent (with former West Virginia Gov Bob Wise) called Digital Learning NOW. I wrote about it in “Reign of Error”
Jeb Bush needs to be Bush-wacked. Right out of our state. Maybe South America wants him.