Plus: Which education bills are headed to Gov. DeSantis?
As we near the end of Florida's 2021 legislative session, it's not too early to assess some of the policy directions the Republican-dominated chambers adopted — and the comments they made about those choices. What's interesting is that they sometimes used similar arguments to defend one position yet detract from another. Politics, right?
— Jeffrey S. Solochek, jsolochek@tampabay.com | |  | | [Miami Herald] | | Lawmaker logic: The same messages don't always apply when it comes to education policy | One of the first priorities the leadership set for 2021 was to expand state-funded vouchers. Approved by the Senate along party lines on Monday, the plan calls for adding $200 million in tax revenue to help children whose families earn as much as $100,000 attend private schools.
Explaining why he thought the state should pay that price tag, bill sponsor Sen. Manny Diaz Jr. had this to say: "We should be in the business of funding students, not institutions."
Legislative leaders did not have the same sentiment when deciding to kill the $5 million ABLE grant, which helps Floridians pay tuition at certain private colleges and universities. The rationale: The schools weren't successful enough.
"We don't see a significant reason to continue to spend taxpayer dollars on our program like that," House appropriations chairman Rep. Jay Trumbull explained, noting the schools where students use the grant had a six-year graduation rate of 36 percent.
Voucher critics have argued that the private K-12 schools receiving state support sport a similarly poor track record. Former Polk County school board member Billy Townsend, for one, has repeatedly hammered the point that 61 percent of Step Up For Students recipients leave their program within two years.
Some Democrats called for added accountability measures for vouchers, as the state puts more money into the program.
"I just wish that we would require them rather than assume they are going to do the right thing," state Rep. Robin Bartleman said, offering an amendment to the House version.
Republican leaders did not welcome the proposals. Parents know the right school when they see it, they contended. If unhappy, they vote with their feet.
"We know that parents are their children's first and best educators, a fact that has certainly been highlighted over the last year," Senate President Wilton Simpson said upon the passage of HB 7045.
Such confidence that parents can find adequate information to make appropriate schooling decisions did not carry over to a discussion about sex education. Republican sponsors of HB 545 and SB 410 said the bills were needed to ensure that public schools publicize information about lessons and curriculum, so parents can decide whether to let their children stay in the class.
"This bill aspires to achieve greater transparency, and I think that is important as a parent," said Sen. Ana Maria Rodriguez, the bill's Senate sponsor.
On a larger scale, legislative leaders suggested it's difficult for parents to determine all that's going on in schools, and what rights and responsibilities they have — even though the information is provided.
That's why they pushed for a "parents' bill of rights."
"Currently, parental rights are spread throughout the Florida statute, which is literally tens of thousands of pages. If you're not an expert and know how to navigate that it can be difficult to find exactly all of the rights that are enumerated to parents. We fixed that now," said Sen. Ray Rodrigues, who sponsored the Senate version of HB 241.
The measure passed this year, largely along party lines, after three years of trying. | | | TAMPA BAY EDUCATION ROUNDUP |  | | [DIRK SHADD | Times] | Hillsborough County's superintendent is under the gun. Addison Davis faces the wrath of an angry School Board and heavy criticism from district administrators, while attempting to stave off state intervention in the district's lengthy financial crisis. Davis said he's sorry, and he's listening.
Speaking of apologies ... Pasco County superintendent Kurt Browning offered one, too, for his flip-flops and misstatements on his district's mask mandate.
Florida university students successfully fought back efforts to reduce popular Bright Futures scholarship amounts. They weren't so lucky with the award's textbook stipend.
Private St. Leo University stopped recognizing its faculty union last fall. Faculty members filed nine charges against the university with the National Labor Relations Board this spring.
Stay in the know. Get your local and state education news with the Tampa Bay Times online. | | | AROUND THE STATE |  | | [AL DIAZ | Miami Herald] | The superintendent of Florida's second-largest school district was arrested on accusations of lying to a grand jury. Broward County's Robert Runcie said he'd eventually be vindicated. But he also offered to resign, the Miami Herald reports.
Got vaccinated? Teachers at a private school in Miami learned they'd be out of a job if they receive the shot, the NY Times reports.
A fight over LGBTQ student rights is shaping up in Lee County. Hundreds of residents turned out to argue about the issue at a recent School Board meeting, the Fort Myers News-Press reports.
The nation's opioid epidemic has cost schools time and resources. The St. Johns County school district has joined a class-action lawsuit against drug manufacturers in search of damages, WJXT reports.
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