Sparking the evolution of education choice
In the two decades that I have been involved in the school choice movement, I’ve seen how choice policies can empower parents to select the school that best fits their child’s needs. But as the mother of a middle school daughter with a disability, I’ve also experienced the difficulty in[Read More…]
Florida lawmakers are working on proposals that would allow parents of children with developmental disabilities to put state education funding to use beyond the traditional public school system – and even beyond private, virtual or other school choice options. The proposals being considered in the House and Senate resemble the[Read More…]
We reported last month that Florida’s private school enrollment numbers are rising again. And that’s true. But trend lines beneath the surface suggest the modest rebound is tied more to publicly funded options than to private-paying students. Here’s the thing: McKay scholarships for disabled students and tax credit scholarships for low-income[Read More…]
by Allison Hertog I have dedicated my life to helping disabled students – first as a special education teacher and, for the last many years, as an attorney for parents of disabled children. As strongly as I support the rights of disabled students to be educated on an equal playing field[Read More…]
Charter schools. A charter school and the Pasco school district disagree about whether the school can increase its enrollment this fall. Tampa Bay Times. Teacher pay. Republican lawmakers are moving ahead with a merit-pay alternative to Gov. Rick Scott’s proposal for an across-the-board teacher pay raise, reports the Tampa Bay Times. More[Read More…]
Digital learning. Lawmakers are set to consider a digital education bill that would allow school districts to create “innovation schools” similar to charter schools. Gradebook. Parent trigger. House version is filed, reports SchoolZone. Democrats concede they probably don’t have the votes to stop it this year, reports Naked Politics. Magnet schools.[Read More…]
Pension ruling. In a case brought by the state teachers union, the Florida Supreme Court rules 4-3 that it is constitutional for the state to require teachers and other state workers to contribute 3 percent of their pay towards their pensions. Coverage from the Herald/Times Capital Bureau, Palm Beach Post,[Read More…]
Charter school debate. Interesting debate in Duval over the performance of charter schools. Says new superintendent Nikolai Vitti, according to the Florida Times Union: “I want the conversation in Florida and in Jacksonville to shift toward what’s best for kids, what’s best for communities, and not a conversation driven by[Read More…]
