Peter Schorsch
Last Call — A prime-time read of what’s going down in Florida politics.
First Shot
Since 1998, more than 373 charter schools have closed their doors in Florida, “causing problems for some school districts,” according to a new Integrity Florida report released Monday.
The number of for-profit charter schools continues to grow at a rapid pace each year and now makes up nearly half of all charter schools in the state, the group said Monday.
“Florida is averaging almost 20 charter school closures per year and that comes with a cost to taxpayers,” said Ben Wilcox, Integrity Florida’s research director, in a news release.
Added Alan Stonecipher, the organization’s research associate: “Floridians and their elected officials need to think about where this is heading, and whether we’ll end up with a parallel, duplicative education system, or a unified system as the (state) constitution requires.”
Key findings include:
— The charter school concept has evolved into “a competitive relationship between charters and traditional schools, rather than a cooperative one.”
— “Lax regulation of charter schools has created opportunities for financial mismanagement and criminal corruption.”
— “Local school boards have seen reduced ability to manage charter schools in their districts.”
School choice advocate John Kirtley, a venture capitalist long involved in education reform efforts, was mentioned in the report on his fundraising for the cause.
“The Florida teachers union is one of the largest spenders in state political races — they spent over $2.5 million in 2016 alone, more than double what FFC spent,” referring to his “Florida Federation for Children,” Kirtley told Last Call in an email.
He also is founder and chairman for Step Up for Students, a school choice scholarship program initiated by former Gov. Jeb Bush.
“Parents who want choices, particularly low-income parents, have no means to counter that spending,” Kirtley added. “That’s the role of The Florida Federation for Children. We invest in the process on behalf of those parents.”
Added Erika Donalds, a Collier County School Board member and charter school founder, “This report tries to use a few bad apples to define all charter schools.
“The truth is, the majority of charter schools are great examples of student success and school resourcefulness,” she said. “Charters are achieving results for students with fewer dollars — that’s not debatable …
“And charter schools are in fact the most accountable type of public school in Florida, because parents can remove their children at any time, and if they fail two years in a row, they close.”
For the full Integrity Florida report, click here.
Evening Reads
“Bill Nelson calls for investigation into allegations against Brett Kavanaugh; no response from top Republicans” via Steve Contorno of the Tampa Bay Times
“Citizens rising up against the Florida Legislature, Rick Scott, and private property zealots” via Julie Hauserman of the Florida Phoenix
“Scott campaign stop in Venice besieged by protesters slamming governor over red tide” via Zac Anderson of the Sarasota Herald-Tribune
“Ron DeSantis spoke to group whose founder says devout Muslims can’t be loyal Americans” via Trevor Aaronson of the Florida Center for Investigative Reporting
“DeSantis says he won’t accept sugar money. He was endorsed by a group fueled by it” via Emily Mahoney and Langston Taylor of the Tampa Bay Times
“DeSantis, Andrew Gillum pile up matching funds” via The News Service of Florida
“Scott Israel helping Gillum raise money” via Anthony Man of the Sun-Sentinel
“Race for Governor could have a big financial impact on companies in the education market” via Sean Cavanagh of Education Week
“Two debates planned between DeSantis, Gillum” via Danny McAuliffe of Florida Politics
“Debbie Mucarsel-Powell criticized for taking PAC money linked to politician accused of molesting teen” via Marc Caputo of POLITICO Florida
“Florida Democrats get schooled on how to be winning candidates” via Mitch Perry of the Florida Phoenix
“Florida Republican Party says it raised $7.6M in two weeks” via Drew Wilson of Florida Politics
“Florida workers comp rates going down again, but future challenges remain” via Amy O’Connor of the Insurance Journal
“Mike Weinstein retiring after high-impact career at Jacksonville City Hall” via David Bauerlein of the Florida Times-Union
“Down it goes: Florida bar exam pass rate plummets again” via Jim Rosica of Florida Politics
Quote of the Day
“Socialism is a dead-end street. While I don’t think that Andrew Gillum would like to see empty store shelves and people starve in the street, that is ultimately what it comes to … Every time we’ve seen it tried, it failed.” — GOP Agriculture Commissioner candidate Matt Caldwell asked about the Democratic gubernatorial candidate.
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Wake Up Early?
The Florida Department of Children and Families will hold another in a series of meetings across the state about infant and early childhood mental health. That’s at 9 a.m., Valencia College, School of Public Safety, 8600 Valencia College Lane, Orlando.
The St. Petersburg College Board of Trustees is scheduled to meet in Clearwater at 9 a.m., St. Petersburg College, Clearwater Campus, 2465 Drew St., Clearwater.
Staff members for U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio will hold “mobile” office hours in Duval and Pinellas counties. That’s at 10 a.m., Lane Wiley Senior Center, 6710 Wiley Road, Jacksonville. Also, 1 p.m., Clearwater Countryside Library, 2642 Sabal Springs Dr., Clearwater.
Former Hillsborough Circuit Judge Ashley Moody, the Republican nominee for Attorney General, will raise money during an event in Tallahassee. That’s at 5:30 p.m., Governors Club, 202 South Adams St., Tallahassee.
