Florida Politics - Campaigns & Elections. Lobbying & Government.

Jac VerSteegJanuary 7, 2015

The West Palm Beach City Commission has provided a perfect example of how government turns into The Nanny State. At its first meeting of 2015, The Palm Beach Post reports, the Commission voted 4-0 to require bars to post signs reminding customers that it is illegal for people under 21 to buy alcohol and illegal […]

Jac VerSteegJanuary 7, 2015

The West Palm Beach City Commission has provided a perfect example of how government turns into The Nanny State. At its first meeting of 2015, The Palm Beach Post reports, the Commission voted 4-0 to require bars to post signs reminding customers that it is illegal for people under 21 to buy alcohol and illegal […]

Daniel TilsonDecember 31, 2014

So you ask, how did Florida’s future fare in 2014? And you say your friend is wondering what our 2015 prospects look like? Glad you’re asking, because I was contemplating just such things while chasing my 9-year-old kid and her friend around the carnival at a local park today. They’re great pals, classmates at our […]

Daniel TilsonDecember 23, 2014

My 9-year-old now tells me Santa Clause is fictional. So, I’m sending my letter to someone real, or…well, someone who exists, anyway: Dear Gov. Scott (and please share with GOP colleagues), It’s that time of year. No, not time to instruct staff to delete leftover sensitive emails or texts from the past year. No, not […]

Julie DelegalJuly 17, 2014

Florida’s schools have been graded since FCAT began under Gov. Lawton Chiles in 1998. There weren’t any consequences for the first few years — no “turnaround” lists, no teacher bonuses — as schools were given the chance to adjust to the brand new test. Standards of the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test have been ramped up […]

Julie DelegalJune 22, 2014

Jacksonville is ground zero for the public education budget disaster that is the result of 15 years of misguided “reform” in Florida. Three months ago, Duval Superintendent of Schools Nikolai Vitti introduced an innovative, if short-lived, proposal to allow open enrollment district-wide to keep more students in the public system. His reason? The public school […]

Marc YachtJune 15, 2014

A judge’s ruling that threatens teacher tenure in California further undermines job security for teachers. Public school teachers continue to feel the brunt of political opportunists, unfair evaluations, the conservative push to privatized education, inadequate funding for the classroom, and lack of wage increases. It is ironic that the legislators responsible for undermining public schools […]

Marc YachtMay 25, 2014

In all fairness, my defense of public education must consider the darker side of some public schools. Many parents choose homeschooling and others send their children to charter schools or use vouchers to send them to private schools. Now with the expansion of voucher credits and the push for additional charter schools, one has to […]

Guest AuthorMay 7, 2014

Thanks to Jeb Bush, Florida has turned into the Wild West of education speculation: charter schools, vouchers, virtual schools, you name it — as long as it promises “profit over pupils in the name of reform.” It’s no surprise to noted education reformer Diane Ravitch, who reports “the charter industry has friends at the top […]

Julie DelegalMay 5, 2014

It looks like my columns questioning the efficacy of school privatization in Florida have hit a nerve. Again. Voters might remember that I’ve long opposed voucher schools because, among other reasons, they don’t administer the same high-stakes tests to their students that public schools do. Without equal accountability, parents of mostly low-income children who now […]

Tag: charter schools

Jac Wilder VerSteeg: West Palm plants seeds of the Nanny State

Jac Wilder VerSteeg: West Palm plants seeds of the Nanny State

Daniel Tilson: Florida 2014 – Days of Future Past

Daniel Tilson: A Christmas letter to Gov. Rick Scott

Julie Delegal: Charter school grades should alarm every Floridian

Julie Delegal: Florida’s school-budget chickens come home to roost

Marc Yacht: Florida’s public education system faces grave threats

Marc Yacht: Public schools need to maintain order if they want parents’ support

Stephen Goldstein: “Education Emperor” Jeb Bush is not wearing any clothes

Julie Delegal: Let’s determine if Bush-brand education reforms are working