Nine school boards have filed suit in Florida Supreme Court, asking the court to block HB 1069, passed by the legislature in May.
The law is a giveaway to charter schools and covers a hodgepodge of subjects, all intended to cripple public education.
“The school boards late Monday filed a constitutional challenge at the Supreme Court to the bill, which has become known in the education world by the shorthand HB 7069. The 274-page bill, spearheaded by House Speaker Richard Corcoran, dealt with a wide range of issues, including controversial subjects such as charter schools and teacher bonuses.
“The challenge contends the law violates part of the Florida Constitution that requires legislation to deal with single subjects. It alleges HB 7069 is a “prototypical example of logrolled legislation” — legislation that puts together a patchwork of issues.
“School districts also have filed two lawsuits challenging HB 7069 in Leon County circuit court. But the new case filed directly to the Supreme Court involves different legal grounds and contends that immediate action is needed to block the law from moving forward.
“Waiting for a trial court determination and its subsequent appellate review will allow irreversible damage to the function of the public education system to occur throughout the state of Florida,” the lawsuit said.
“Plaintiffs named in the case are the school boards of Alachua, Bay, Broward, Hamilton, Lee, Polk, St. Lucie, Volusia and Wakulla counties.
“In arguing the Supreme Court should take up the case, the school boards are seeking what is known as a “writ of quo warranto” finding that the Legislature violated the Constitution because of the single-subject issue. They also are seeking what are known as “writs of mandamus” that, in part, would direct Education Commissioner Pam Stewart to stop carrying out the law and direct Secretary of State Ken Detzner to expunge the law from official records.”
Read more about the legislation here.
Diane Ravitch's blog 
Reblogged this on David R. Taylor-Thoughts on Education.
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HB7069 is a perfect example of this types of manipulation that the complicit Florida legislature passes at the eleventh hour. HB7069 is designed to create a ready supply of students for charters, and it will dramatically increase the charter drain throughout the state. Since the “failing schools” are mostly in minority communities, the “schools of hope” are a euphemism for profitized separate and unequal schools for minorities. Florida needs to clear the legislature of its unscrupulous members.
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Correction: the type
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“Florida is Self-destructing”
They’re bent on self-destruction
In Florida, it’s true
A self-inflicted suction
Holds Florida, like glue
The giant sucking sink-hole
Gets deeper by the day
And Tallahassee sphinc-hole
Holds public in his sway
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I just checked to see what governor appointed the justices of the Florida Supreme Court, and it doesn’t look good.
Only two of the seven were appointed by Democratic governors. one was appointed by Jeb Bush, three by Charlie Christ, and one by Rick Scott. It will be interesting to see how these justices vote in this case. Will the vote obediently follow the party that appointed them?
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