In a huge victory for the Florida League of Women Voters and the public, a Florida Judge struck down a proposed amendment to the state constitution that was written by privatizers and intended to confuse and deceive voters.

“A judge in Tallahassee this morning struck Amendment 8 from Florida’s November ballot, saying the three-pronged measure about schools was “misleading” and failed to inform voters about its purpose.

“The ruling was a victory for the League of Women Voters of Florida, which last month filed a lawsuit seeking to block it from the ballot, saying voters should not be asked to change Florida’s Constitution based on unclear and deceptive language.

“Amendment 8 includes three proposed changes to the state constitution, unrelated except that they all deal with public schools. The most controversial deals with charter schools and the other two with term limits for school board members and the teaching of civic literacy.

“The lawsuit focused on the section of Amendment 8 that would add a phrase that says local school boards could control only the public schools they established. It was proposed as a way to make it easier for charter schools — publicly funded privately run schools — or other new educational options to flourish. Now, charter schools need local school board approval to open, but that requirement would vanish if the proposal passed.”

In another report from Florida:

A circuit judge threw out a proposed constitutional amendment intended to advance the privatization of public schools. The amendment contained several topics including one to eliminate the state’s responsibility to provide a uniform system of public schools. Patricia Levesque, leader of Jeb Bush’s Foundation for Excellence in Education, was a member of the Constitutional Revision Commission. It is telling that the commission dared not put the question honestly to the public but concealed it.

“A Florida judge is throwing a proposed amendment dealing with charter schools off the November ballot.

“Circuit Judge John Cooper ruled Monday that the amendment proposed by the Constitution Revision Commission is misleading and does not tell voters what it really does.

“Amendment 8 combines several ideas into one amendment including term limits for school board members. But the amendment also makes it easier for charter schools to get set up around the state. Charter schools receive public money, but are run privately.”

“Cooper pointed out that the amendment does not even use the words charter schools but would affect their creation.”