Should the Florida legislature listen to California mayors or Florida's parents about the parent trigger bill

From the Orlando Sentinel

by Leslie Postal

The California group Parent Revolution — which is pushing parent trigger laws nationwide — sent out a release this morning noting that two California mayors are in favor of…. Florida’s parent-trigger plan.

Meanwhile, at a Tallahassee press conference several Florida parent groups urged lawmakers to say “no thanks” to a bill that would give parents the right to determine the fate of a struggling public school. They argued that “not one legitimate Florid Parent Group” has argued for the legislation, which they view as a sneaky way to give private firms access to public schools.

The groups — including Orlando-based Fund Education Now — also are upset that public testimony on the bill keeps getting limited, with Florida parents cut off when they try to testify.

From the press release sent out by Fund Education Now and other groups like Save Duval Schools, Support Dade Schools and the Florida PTA: “We travel to Tallahassee on our own dime. We arrange for baby sitters, help with homework over the phone and miss countless precious hours of our children’s lives in order to tell our elected officials what we want. We’re tired of being cut off, interrupted or not allowed to speak. We’ve heard one politician after another repeat that “parents really need to be empowered.” The irony is that we are empowered. We’re here. We’ve been here. We represent over half a million Florida parents.”

Parent Revolution, meanwhile, noted today that Los Angeles Mayor Villaraigosa, a Democrat, supports the legislation.

His quote: “The Parent Trigger movement, that started in Los Angeles and now is spreading across the nation, encourages involvement in the education process and drums up the kind of support and encouragement necessary to build the foundations for student achievement. I am a strong supporter of measures that protect the rights of parents in standing up for children. Parental empowerment and community intervention in education work to change our children’s lives and transform the communities surrounding them.”

Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson voiced support for Florida’s bill. Johnson, the former NBA star, is should be noted is married to Michelle Rhee, the former D.C. schools chancellor whose group, StudentsFirst, is also pushing the legislation.

Johnson’s statement: “The Parent Trigger empowers parents to stand up for their own children when the status quo has failed them. For parents across nation- inspired by parents in California – this is about their kids….Unfortunately, this is just another political game to the status quo. Already we are seeing unions in Florida and across the nation confuse parents and dupe the public with conspiracy theories and outright lies. Even worse, the opposition is offering no solutions for communities trapped by failing schools.”

Meanwhile, California’s law has led to what the L.A. Times calls bruising battles in the few places it’s been implemented.

Florida’s bill has already been approved by the House. The Senate should take up its version in the next few days.

http://blogs.orlandosentinel.com/news_education_edblog/2012/03/california-mayors-like-fls-parent-trigger-plan-state-parent-groups-not-so-much.html