Instead of being given a helping hand, Florida’s public schools are being dealt a big sucker punch. HB 7069, if signed by Gov. Scott, would devastate public schools, shortchange teachers, and finance a huge giveaway to corporate charter school chains.
Instead of being given a helping hand, Florida’s public schools are being dealt a big sucker punch. HB 7069, if signed by Gov. Scott, would devastate public schools, shortchange teachers, and finance a huge giveaway to corporate charter school chains.
Call Gov. Scott today at 850-488-7146 and say you want him to veto HB 7069.
HB 7069 contains a number of bad ideas that probably would not have passed on their own. So House Speaker Richard Corcoran and other anti-public school legislators worked behind closed doors and put everything into this single bill. Here are two of the biggest problems with HB 7069:
- It takes critical funding that could be used to improve traditional neighborhood public schools and instead uses these funds to develop a parallel system of charter schools and line the pockets of corporate owned school management companies.
- Instead of funding needed pay raises for teachers across the board, HB 7069 continues to fund the so-called “Best and Brightest” scholarship which rewards bonuses based on high school SAT and ACT scores. It goes without saying that someone’s test scores from high school have very little bearing on their teaching abilities.
Legislators cynically packaged these destructive measures with testing reform and a recess time requirement in an effort to sway pro-public school legislators and advocates. We’re not fooled. Thousands of public school advocates have flooded Gov. Scott’s office with phone calls and emails in an effort to stop HB 7069. We need your voice, too.
We must stop this attack on public education. Call Gov. Scott today at 850-488-7146 and urge him to veto HB 7069.
Floridians want a strong and well-funded public school system so that a child’s opportunity to learn isn’t dependent on where they live or whether they win a school lottery. They don’t want to waste precious resources on a parallel system of private school vouchers and charters that is less accountable to citizens and has produced mixed results at best. Thanks for all you do to ensure every Florida child receives a good education and an opportunity to succeed.