Florida leaders let public schools flounder Options

[Chris Spiliotis]

It's worse than benign neglect. If only JEB and Thrasher would just go away.

Someone should call DCF and report these guys.

Read the blog and post a comment on jacksonville.com
http://jacksonville.com/opinion/blog/mark-...chools-flounder

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Florida leaders let public schools flounder

Submitted by Mark Woods on March 26, 2010 - 2:16am

I readily admit to having a very personal reason for wanting to believe in the future of our public schools.

She’s in second grade.

But even if I didn’t have this personal stake in the next 10 years, I would want to believe in our public schools. And for the most part, I do believe.

I have some concerns and qualms. But I have faith in our teachers, our principals, our local leaders.

What scares me most about the future in Northeast Florida is the past and present in Tallahassee.

Our state leaders are great at talking about education, posing with kids and coming up with grand plans (some which are good, some which are Senate Bill 6).

Here’s what they are not so good about doing: Putting their money — our money — where their mouths are.

They keep saying they care about education, but they keep cutting funding, putting a heavier burden on local property taxes and, for now, stimulus dollars.

Since 2007, the state Legislature has cut the K-12 budget by nearly $1.4 billion. We spend $1,000 less per student than we did four years ago. By pretty much any funding measure, Florida ranks near the bottom in the nation.

Yes, times are tough. That’s all the more reason thousands of people gathered outside the capitol Thursday for the “Rally in Tally.” They know that if recent history is any indication, our legislators will be quick to give a big private corporation another tax break, but slow to give a public school a No. 2 pencil.

The vast majority of the people who gathered were not paid lobbyists. For the most part, they were people who go by the title of “mom.” After meeting a few of them, I’m not sure if state Sen. John Thrasher realizes what he and others at the forefront of this session will be facing.

“It’s as if the mama bears have come out of hibernation, and they will not go back until their babies are safe,” said Deborah Gianoulis Heald, chairwoman of Save Duval Schools.

On their way to Tallahassee, some mama bears stopped by The Times-Union. Colleen Wood founded 50th No More in St. Johns County. Three women from Orlando founded Fund Education Now.

Considering that some in the Republican-led Legislature like to paint critics as a bunch of union leaders and Democrats, it’s worth noting that the St. Johns County group is heavy on Republicans. And the three Orlando women say they come from three political parties.

“But we see eye-to-eye on this issue,” said Linda Kobert of Fund Education Now.

They know times are tough. They aren’t advocating raising property taxes. They say we don’t need to raise any new money. We just have to stop giving it away. Merely by closing exclusions, exemptions and loopholes, they say Florida could fill the $3.2 billion budget hole, restore previous education cuts and create a stable source of funding.

Don’t hold your breath. Stop giving Walmart and others sweet accounting deals? The argument always is that we need to bring and keep jobs here. Never mind that having good public schools does exactly that. And having bad ones does the opposite.

“It’s disingenuous to say there is no extra money when you turn around and give a tax break to Expedia.com,” Wood said. “To me, budgets are moral documents. And what does the budget about the state of Florida say about us?”

Good question.