HB 873 by Rep. Erik Fresen heads to the House floor this week. Please reject this push to hand over district construction funds to for-profit charter chains so they can finance facilities we will never own. This bill shifts the legislature’s responsibility for funding charter schools onto the backs of taxpayers.
Take action now. Tell the House that it’s wrong to hand over our hard earned tax revenues to fund corporate charter developers.
Since 2011, Florida charters have received $326 million in building and maintenance funds from PECO while public schools received $109 million. Taxpayers should not be required to fund endless unjustified charter school growth at the expense of our neighborhood schools.
Speak out against HB 873 today.
Under this bill, if the state allocates $90 million in PECO funds for charter school capital costs (as is the case in the current House budget), school districts would pay an additional $63 million for charter school capital outlay.
Charters are essentially private for-profit businesses who depend on the public dole. In recent years, Florida lost $70M to this failed scheme. We can’t afford to hand over locally raised capital dollars which are already earmarked as debt service to pay down construction bonds.
It’s outrageous that Rep Fresen expects us to fill the funding gap left by the state. HB 873 is a blatant tax increase. Tell House members to vote no on HB 873 today.
If you like what we’ve been doing since 2009, please help us continue to fund this quick way to speak up and take action
