Sparking the evolution of education choice
Florida private schools rocked by the pandemic and low-income families who use state school choice scholarships will receive $45 million in federal relief funding, Gov. Ron DeSantis announced Thursday. The money is part of $173.6 million Florida is receiving through the Governor’s Emergency Education Relief Fund, which in turn is[Read More…]
More students attended Florida private schools this year than in any year since the onset of the economic downturn, and there are now more private schools operating in the state than in any year on record. But Florida’s private school enrollment is still less than it was 10 years ago,[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…]
Florida’s Shine Awards for public school teachers are now casting a spotlight on private school teachers as well. The breakthrough came last week during a Florida Cabinet meeting, as Gov. Rick Scott honored four private school educators for their contributions to learning. Shine Awards are presented by the governor to Floridians who[Read More…]
Whatever it takes. That’s the daily mantra for Suzette and Daniel Dean, a Florida husband-and-wife team who founded a small private religious school in the heart of a struggling black community. It’s a way of life that started almost from the moment the native Jamaicans met at their Miami church.[Read More…]
New Florida Education Commissioner Tony Bennett offered more hints Wednesday that he is not satisfied with the current accountability framework for Florida private schools that accept students with vouchers and tax credit scholarships. Making his first appearance before the Senate Education Committee, Bennett was asked by Sen. Bill Montford, D-Tallahassee, for[Read More…]
Count newly-elected Florida Rep. Manny Diaz, Jr. among a number of state lawmakers who are public school district employees. But Diaz, an assistant principal in the Miami-Dade public school district, isn’t just a cheerleader for traditional public schools. He’s also a huge – and very vocal – advocate for school[Read More…]
A new Florida House subcommittee devoted to all things school choice does not necessarily signal major reforms in the upcoming legislative session, says incoming House Speaker Will Weatherford. The point, rather, is to keep choice in the debate. “I think choice has always been in the conversation,’’ Weatherford, who is scheduled to be voted in[Read More…]
