Florida: Parent trigger fails again in the Senate with a 20-20 vote (Orlando Sentinel). Insiders say Gov. Rick Scott influenced some legislators to vote down the parent trigger bill (Sunshine State News). More from The Buzz. Florida Virtual School leaders say a funding shift that takes affect this summer already is having a negative impact on the program (redefinED). U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio visits Tampa and shares his plan for federal tax credit scholarships (redefinED). As private school enrollment declines, some operators are going charter (redefinED).

Louisiana: The state's voucher program will grow by at least 3,000 more students next school year, bringing the total enrollment to nearly 8,000 (The Times-Picayune).

Connecticut: Gov. Dannel Malloy leads a rally of about 150 students, parents and teachers to protect education budget cuts (The Day). A House bill allows low-performing school districts with charter schools to count their test scores in exchange for support (The CT Mirror).

Washington, D.C.: About 22,000 students are on a wait list for public charter schools (Washington Examiner). Charter advocates ask district officials for uniform per-student funding (The Washington Post).

Arizona: The state is one of the nation's leaders for school choice, ranking sixth in a report by the Center for Education Reform (The Arizona Republic).

Texas: The House approved a measure that will allow 10 new charter school operators in two years, with 10 additional charters each year up to a maximum of 275 (The Dallas Morning News). (more…)

California: The award-winning American Indian Model charter schools face closure after failing to fix problems with financial oversight that resulted in $3.8 million of questionable expenses (The Oakland Tribune).

Wisconsin: Three former state House speakers push for a voucher expansion (Associated Press). School choice options continue to grow with proponents pointing to achievement gains (WisconsinReporter).

Indiana: Ball State University pulls its sponsorship of seven struggling charter schools, likely ensuring their closure (Associated Press). School choice supporters press for an expansion of the state's voucher program (NWI.com).

Texas: A school choice proponent testifies that a tax credit scholarship program would save the state $2 billion a year (Houston Chronicle). More from San Antonio Express News. Waco-area school boards support a resolution opposing any publicly funded private school choice options for the state (Waco Tribune Herald).

Michigan: The legislative path for Gov. Rick  Snyder's school choice expansion plans remain murky (MLive.com).

Tennessee: A school board member in Knox County tries unsuccessfully to convince his colleagues that private school vouchers are a good thing (Knoxnews.com). State lawmakers scrutinize Tennessee Virtual Academy, operated by K12 Inc., over poor test results (Tennessee Public Radio). Memphis charter schools are poised to grow - again (Memphis Business Journal). The NAACP pushes for more regulatory accountability for charter schools in the wake of complaints about one in Memphis (Memphis Commercial Appeal). Gov. Bill Haslam is expected to unveil his proposal for a limited statewide voucher in his State of the State speech tonight (News Channel 5).

New York: Twenty-four more Catholic schools in the state will close because they're not financially self-sufficient (New York Times). (more…)

California: A parents group in Los Angeles is using the state's landmark parent trigger law to force the school district to reform a low-performing school. (Los Angeles Times). More from the Associated Press and Education Week. A national report finds the state continues to lead the nation in charter school growth, despite funding disparities and access to facilities (Huffington Post). Oakland district officials say the American Indian Model Schools, a charter network touted for its academic successes, suffers from "corrupt fiscal practices" and should be shut down (Oakland Tribune).

Michigan: A new report finds the typical Michigan charter school student school gained more learning in  a year than a district school peer, amounting to about an additional two  months of reading and math learning (The Detroit News).

Texas: Key state lawmakers are looking at the franchise tax on businesses as a vehicle to fund private-school scholarships for low-income students (Austin Business Journal). Critics of a proposed voucher program say all it will strip the public school system of funding and state leaders should instead restore $5.4 billion cut from education in 2011 (KUT News). Similar arguments in stories from KX11.com and the Associated Press.

Florida: Magnet schools continue to grow on the school choice landscape (redefinED). A new bill would require emergency response agencies to notify private schools just like they do public schools (redefinED). In response to the Newtown tragedy, private schools and charter schools are considering additional security measures too (redefinED).

Georgia: Tax credit scholarships are used at private schools that bar gay students (New York Times). (more…)

Texas: State lawmakers propose an ambitious school choice expansion plan that includes a tax credit scholarship for low-income students and the lifting of a cap on charter schools (Dallas Morning News). More from the Austin American Statesman and San Antonio Express-News.

Tennessee: A key state lawmaker, House Speaker Beth Harwell, says the legislature will consider a statewide charter school authorizer (The Tennessean). Area businesses help push growth of charters in the Nashville area (The Tennessean). Gov. Bill Haslam gives mixed signals on the possibility of voucher legislation next year (Knoxville News-Sentinel). More from the Memphis Commercial Appeal.

Louisiana: The Recovery School District in New Orleans is moving towards an all-charter system (New Orleans Times Picayune). The latest enrollment counts show families who accepted vouchers are sticking with their schools (Alexandria Town Talk).

North Carolina: Charlotte-Mecklenburg schools superintendent Heath Morrison calls private, charter and traditional public school leaders together to discuss the possibility of partnerships (Charlotte Observer).

Indiana: A new study finds the state's charter schools are among the best in the nation when compared to their traditional public school counterparts (Indianapolis Star). But the poor performance of many charters under one authorizer, Ball State University, drags down the overall results (Indianapolis Star).

Illinois: Members of the Chicago teachers union march to protest a wealthy charter school supporter and ally of Mayor Rahm Emanuel (Chicago Sun Times).

Ohio: Federal education officials are investigating whether charter schools in Ohio and three other states - Texas, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin - are discriminating against students with disabilities (StateImpact Ohio).

Wisconsin: Possible expansion of vouchers, extra pay for low-performing schools with improvement plans, and more education funding are all on tap for the next legislative session, Gov. Scott Walker says (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel).

Georgia: A judge rules that the Atlanta school district must stop withholding money from the city's charter schools to help pay for the district's pension program (Atlanta Journal Constitution).

Florida: A failing  charter school cuts its principal a $500,000 check as it was closing its doors (Orlando Sentinel). Charter school supporters are also angered (redefinED).

Louisiana: State Superintendent John White is accused of lying to lawmakers about the state's new voucher program (theadvertiser.com). White is also summoned to court in a lawsuit filed by a school district that says the voucher program will interfere with its ability to comply with court-ordered desegregation orders (Associated Press). Debate ensues over whether proposed rules are stringent enough for schools wanting to participate in the program (Shreveport Times).

California: A record-setting 109 new charter schools opened in the state this year, lifting the total number of charter schools to 1,065 and enrollment to 484,000 (Associated Press).

Washington D.C.: Enrollment is up 1 percent in the district's traditional schools, and 11 percent in its charters (Associated Press).

Washington: A former charter school opponent is now a leading supporter of the state's charter ballot initiative (Seattle Times). School choice is a leading issue in a debate between state senate candidates (Tacoma News Tribune). (more…)

Florida: The Seminole County School District, one of the state's biggest, offers more online classes and other educational options to compete with private and charter schools and home schooling (Orlando Sentinel). Meanwhile, another large district receives 36 applications for new charter schools (Palm Beach Post).

Tennessee: Gov. Bill Haslam says questions remain on a voucher proposal that's expected to get legislative attention next year (Nashville Public Radio). State education officials and the Nashville school board are in a standoff over a proposed charter school that wants to open in an affluent part of the city (Education Week).

Louisiana: In the wake of the new voucher program, state education officials will consider tightening rules for the establishment of new private schools. (New Orleans Times Picayune) Expanded online learning options give Louisiana students a chance to graduate early or catch up on credits. (The Advocate)

Washington: The state PTA opposes the charter school initiative on the November ballot. (The News Tribune)

Texas: Some charter school supporters oppose a state education funding lawsuit that suggests state resources are inadequate. (Austin American Statesman)

Indiana: Between vouchers and charter schools, northwest Indiana parents have more school choices than ever before. (Post Tribune) (more…)

Florida: State education commissioner Gerard Robinson, a former president of the Black Alliance for Educational Options, resigns amidst tumult over the state's accountability system (Tampa Bay Times). Robinson says the move was for family reasons (Tampa Bay Times). Critics of Florida's education reforms see an opportunity to change direction (News Service of Florida).

Louisiana: There are far more applicants than seats available in Louisiana's new voucher program, leaving thousands of parents and students out of luck. (New Orleans Times-Picayune)

Wisconsin: Private school vouchers are a central issue in a Democratic primary for a state assembly seat in Milwaukee. (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel)

Maine: On the birthday of school choice champion Milton Friedman, choice proponents in Maine promise another legislative push for an expansion of learning options. (Bangor Daily News)

Mississippi: Gov. Phil Bryant pushes for charter schools as part of his education reform package (Jackson Clarion Ledger). Lt. Gov. Tate Reeves also says he'll continue pushing for legislation to boost charter schools despite the failure of a charter school proposal during the last session (Memphis Commercial Appeal).

North Carolina: The state board of education is set to consider allowing 25 new charter schools across 13 counties next year. (Associated Press)

South Carolina: Parents and teachers talk up the positives of a new charter school in the Myrtle Beach area. (Myrtle Beach Online)

Nevada: A state lawmaker proposes a voucher bill that would give parents half of the state's per-student funding to send their children to private schools. (Las Vegas Review Journal)