Jason Garcia, investigative reporter, explains how giant for-profit charter chain Academica plans to grab a bigger share of local property taxes. Academica long ago figured out the importance of working with the right lobbyists and contributing generously to the right politicians. Their efforts have paid off in bigger profits.
In late February, toward the end of this year’s regular legislative session, Republican leaders in the state Senate introduced a measure to make public school districts across Florida give a bigger share of local property taxes to privately run charter schools.
The idea seemed to catch some senators by surprise when it was presented to the Senate Finance & Tax Committee as part of a larger package of proposed tax cuts and changes. The charter school provision prompted an extended round of sometimes-confused questioning during the hearing; Sen. Ed Hooper, a Republican from Clearwater who is a part of the Senate GOP leadership team, confessed that even he did not fully understand it.
But there was someone who knew about the property tax plan in advance: Academica Corp., the charter school management giant that stands to profit from the change.
Records obtained by Seeking Rents show that the sponsor the Senate tax package shared a draft of the charter school language with a lobbyist for Academica the week before it was filed for the rest of the public to see. An aide to Sen. Bryan Avila (R-Miami Springs) emailed the still-secret tax-sharing scheme to Academica lobbyist Andreina Figueroa with a one-word subject line: “Review.”
Diane Ravitch's blog 
Well, of course they do … that’s the whole point. After the finance bros had scoured the American economy for every cent they could find, they saw the huge amount of public money going into public education and said “We want us some of that.” They knew that the rich always resented having to pay for the unwashed children’s educations and actually, they thought, their own children’s, but since their children were in private schools they felt they were paying twice! (Hint: they were not.)
These efforts are not “for the children” or “for a better society” but for profit, the god of finance bros. To think otherwise is to be trying to solve the wrong problem.
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I believe this is the link. https://jasongarcia.substack.com/p/a-management-firm-is-poised-to-profit
Corruption runs deep in Florida where it is all about cronyism and back door deals without involving the public or requiring a vote before changing public policy. China passed a law that prohibits private contractors from profiting from compulsory education. Maybe we could learn a thing or two from China. If Floridians keep voting in the corrupt GOP, they may well demolish the public schools.
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Thank you for the missing link!
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Academica is the largest for-profit manager of charters in the United States. It began as a way for the Zulueta Brothers to attract buyers to their Florida housing developments by putting in a school. Real estate has always been at the heart of their profiteering. They have a multiplicity of charter “brands”–Pinecrest, Mater, Doral, SLAM, and more, including the Ben Gamla schools that are trying to open a religious charter school.
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