What's amiss is the
facts!
Too many of our
Florida Politicians have their greedy fingers and pockets in Charter Schools!
In case you needed
more in-put
Not only my
words also the papers are wondering?
In today's News
paper about Scott and the Florida Congress I have written about a number of
times!
Scott’s budget
troubling.
Unveiling his “Keep
Florida Working” budget in January, Scott proposed pumping $100 million into
capital construction for charter schools.
In contrast, the
governor offered $60 million in construction funds for roughly 4,000
traditional public schools throughout the state.
OUR OPINION
From Halifax Media
Group
Something’s amiss
with charter schools
From Halifax Media
Group. This editorial first appeared in the Ocala Star-Banner on March 24
Although it seems
state lawmakers will deny Gov. Rick Scott in his quest to fund K-12 education
at a record level, the governor’s aspiration was admirable nonetheless.
Florida
traditionally ranks toward the bottom rung of the schools-spending ladder
relative to other states, and while we’re unconvinced funding alone determines
the proficiency of a state’s education system, that number perhaps reflects
where educating children ranks among Florida’s priorities.
Thus, the governor
deserves credit for demonstrating that he has made improving Florida’s schools
a priority at the outset of his second term.
But we find one area
of Scott’s budget troubling.
Unveiling his “Keep
Florida Working” budget in January, Scott proposed pumping $100 million into
capital construction for charter schools.
That was a 33
percent spike over current expenditures, and equates to about $400 per student
for Florida’s nearly 650 charter schools.
In contrast, the
governor offered $60 million in construction funds for roughly 4,000
traditional public schools throughout the state.
That amounts to
about $24 per student. In other words, for each $1 spent on construction at
traditional public schools, charters get roughly $17.
Something is amiss.
Scott obviously is
fan of charter schools, as are numerous state lawmakers and the parents of a
quarter-million students across the state.
But clearly the
governor’s emphasis with construction spending is out of kilter.
Over the past few
years, for example, Lake County has received next to nothing from Tallahassee
for school repair and maintenance. That is significant considering there are
considerable general maintenance needs.
Lastly, consider
other capital needs, such as school buses and new computers, which are vital
since the state’s new testing regimen is computer-based.
Counties once could
assess $2 for each $1,000 of taxable property value to pay for that. In 2010,
due to the recession, the state reduced that to $1.50. The dollars flowing into
the district’s coffers would have fallen anyway because of the recession-driven
plunge in property values, but the additional 25 percent cut added insult to
injury.
A Senate proposal,
since relaxed and being reworked, would have diverted the first 50 percent of
the projected revenue from that tax to charter schools.
The longer public
schools are deprived of funding to renovate and repair buildings, to buy the
kind of technology our children need to learn and work in the 21st century, and
meet our state’s own testing requirements, the longer our schools will lag behind.
It is simply a disservice to our students.
Scott and some
lawmakers seem dedicated to helping charter schools work. Nothing wrong with
that, but the trade-off is that the backbones of traditional public schools in
Lake County and elsewhere are crumbling, with either no recognition or
consideration of that by Tallahassee. Some parity seems a reasonable place to
start.
Let’s hope some in
the Legislature are listening.
What's amiss is the
facts!
Too many of our
Florida Politicians have their greedy fingers and pockets in Charter Schools!