Monthly Archives: December 2017

FL School Board member Billy Townsend: The FL Model is DEAD

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Pay attention folks. It’s rare that a sitting school board member is also a serious writer and a former Florida education reporter. Re-blogged with permission from the author, this post is worthy of your time. Townsend raises crucial questions about how we can do better by Florida’s 2.75 million public school students. Enjoy. Dear Lakeland…

Fine print in 7069 lowers district graduation rates

Florida HB 7069, the sweeping backroom deal brokered by Speaker Richard Corcoran, Senate President Joe Negron and Governor Rick Scott strips districts of credit for those students who graduate using alternate options such as online learning. Last year at least 1,000 at risk public school students earned diplomas from district-contracted private alternative school  Smart Horizons…

Citizens for Strong Schools loses appeal, court says public is on its own

This week the First District Court of Appeal released its ruling against the Citizens for Strong Schools case claiming that it is powerless to protect regular folks when legislation does not line up with language in the state constitution. In other words, everyone is on their own.  Fund  Education Now is among several plaintiffs in the…

Venture capitalist champions private-school scholarships

by Beth Kassab | Orlando Sentinel | 12.6.17 The number of children using a state scholarship to attend religious or other private schools in Florida soared by 21 percent last year to about 140,000 — the largest increase since the voucher programs started more than 15 years ago. No one has been more central to that…