Teachers, staff, school leaders and educational advocates rallied in Tallahassee Thursday to ask the legislature to protect Florida's public schools this session.
Participants called on the legislature to increase teacher pay, fix the state's universal voucher program, and to limit the ability of Schools of Hope to co-locate in public schools.
President of the Florida Education Association Andrew Spar led the rally. He says if these problems aren't addressed now, more schools will close across the state, and more teachers will be laid off.
In Central Florida, Orange County Public Schools is considering the closure of seven schools. Another will close in Brevard next year. Spar says 30 districts in the state could close schools.
"That's ripping the hearts out of some of our communities, because the places that those schools are closing are the places that rely on those schools more than anyone else," Spar said.
University of Central Florida history professor and United Faculty of Florida president Robert Cassanello says it's simple. These disruptions don't just hurt the teachers who need to find new jobs, or those teachers left behind in the classroom.
It hurts the students who have a disjointed educational experience.
"The Florida Constitution guarantees the citizens of Florida a world-class public education system and lawmakers are turning their backs on that promise," Cassanello said.
But Scott Kent of Step Up for Students, the nonprofit that handles most of the school choice scholarships, says vouchers and even Schools of Hope are good for public schools.
That's because these parents and families are contracting with public schools for services like classes and other extracurriculars using the vouchers. He said that money goes to public schools and their teachers.
In a statement he says, "48 of Florida's 67 public school districts – including the largest ones in the state – have been approved, or are in the process of being approved, to provide classes and other services to students receiving education choice scholarships, paid for with scholarship funds. This demonstrates that education choice need not be a zero-sum game. When educators from all sectors collaborate and cooperate to meet the diverse needs of students, everyone benefits."
The state has spent $4 billion on vouchers this school year. That could rocket to $5 billion next year. More than 500,000 students now use a voucher to attend a school of choice in Florida.
The bills that the teachers and other advocates at the rally called on the governor and legislature to support include:
SB 424: this bill would limit the ability of Schools of Hope to co-locate in public schools, for free, on vacant or unused land.
HB 963: would reform how the state certifies teachers and contracts out other staff, and introduces new certification pathways. It would also make changes to professional learning
HB 1187: would provide a cost of living adjustment for educators and staff, and allows districts to provide other raises
SB 318: would overhaul the state's school voucher system to improve oversight, transparency, and accountability. This bill has been unanimously approved by the Senate.
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