That said, I wonder, if their efforts fail, is this what we will all have to expect....
While the Sun-Sentinal article focuses on Broward County, it reveals a pervasive problem encountered by many communities in which Carter Schools have shuttered.
" The state Legislature has discussed bills that would tighten controls of charter schools, including requiring them to secure a surety bond that would reimburse districts for any money or assets owed by schools that close. But those efforts have failed to gain traction.
"On a statewide level, there's not that much interest," said Vernon Pickup-Crawford, a lobbyist who represents Palm Beach and six other counties. "It's a concern in areas like Broward and Miami-Dade that have a higher concentration of charter schools. But in other places in Florida, it's just wasn't a big deal for them."
Well, it should be a big deal, but the problem is we have many representatives in the State Legislature who own, operate, or are heavily invested in Charter Schools, and a voting public who are apathetic at best.
That is a HUGE problem. Read this article from the Miami Herald:
Erik Fresen, Miami Republican;
The wife of House Appropriations Chairman Richard Corcoran, a Land O’Lakes Republican;
Rep. Manny Diaz Jr., Hialeah Republican;
Sen. John Legg, Trinity Republican;
"Fresen is used to accusations about conflicts of interest. He said he wants to “de-politicize the conversation between charters and conventional” schools by enacting an equitable funding formula, where charter schools can benefit from local tax dollars, too...“It’s time that we recognize that our charter public schools are public schools and that we, as a Legislature, have the responsibility to ensure that there’s adequate funding for those facilities,” said Rep. Janet Adkins, R-Fernandina Beach, the House K-12 Subcommittee chairwoman."
But They Aren't! They are no matter what, no matter how deeply hidden, for profit for the most part.
Read this article from The Orlando Sentinel to see how they are feathering their own nests as we pay:
" To be clear: The state is dictating not only how any state dollars are used, but also how local tax dollars are used. Wouldn't legislators be incensed and screaming about states' rights if the federal government did the same to them?
A few interesting points to ponder:
•Charter schools are privately managed but publicly funded.
•There are 251,000 Florida students in charter schools and 2.7 million in district-run schools.
•There are 650 charter schools and more than 3,600 traditional public schools.
•The Legislature has funded $326 million for charter-school facilities and $109 million for traditional public schools over the past five years.
•Since 2000, charter schools have received $760 million from state taxes for facility funding. The Associated Press found that as much as $70 million of that has gone to charter schools that have closed.
•Legislators pushing the bills and funding have close ties to charter schools, creating potential conflicts of interest.
Since Florida's school districts were starved for capital funding in the 2011-12, 2012-13 and 2013-14 school years, they had to come up with local revenue sources — including property taxes, local sales tax and bonding — to fix their deteriorating buildings. Now the Legislature wants them to share those dollars, too."
Our Tax Dollars At Work Folks!
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