School choice in the form of charter schools offers parents good options for their children’s education. But corporate welfare in the form of taxpayer-funded construction of private facilities is another matter entirely. Once again, the Legislature is on track to favor charters over public schools, with the House considering diverting tens of millions of dollars…
Private schools in Florida are becoming vastly more dependent on state voucher programs that pay all or part of tuition for students with disabilities or from low-income families, an Orlando Sentinel analysis has found. The families of nearly 100,000 Florida students received vouchers worth about $544 million this year as the Legislature has steadily…
They are so gosh darned good to us, I don’t know how we stand it. From the moment they arrive in Tallahassee, our state legislators insist on sending back unnecessary gifts. Fancy-sounding laws we neither asked for, nor need. It’s too much. Really. Please, stop. Take this new schools bill (HB 1145) the House passed…
School districts would have to share local school construction and maintenance money with charter schools, according to an amendment filed by an influential state senator. Sen. Don Gaetz, former Senate president, filed the amendment Tuesday. The amendment would require half of the money raised by an optional local property tax to be split between charter…
When it comes to spending on classroom technology, the Florida Senate has led the charge in recent years. Senate Education Committee chairman John Legg has held symposiums and school tours, aimed at drumming up support for more money for digital instruction. The effort landed $40 million last year. But when the Senate’s education budget proposal…
TALLAHASSEE – The Florida Lottery today announced a new milestone of $28 billion in transfers to the state’s Educational Enhancement Trust Fund (EETF) since opening its doors in 1988. In fiscal year 2013-14, the Lottery achieved record sales resulting in the transfer of $1.49 billion to Florida’s students and schools. The Lottery is currently on…