Jeb Bush, bad or really bad for our kids

From the Orlando Sentinel's school zone

by Leslie Postal

Lots of groups (from local school boards to the Florida PTA) publish legislative priorities, wish lists for what they hope Florida lawmakers will, or won’t, do when they convene in Tallahassee.

But when it comes to education issues probably no legislative priority list carries the weight of the that from Foundation for Florida’s Future.

The foundation was founded by former Gov. Jeb Bush. And with Republicans in power, and Bush having made a name for himself on the national stage as an education reformer, the foundation’s suggestions tend to get taken seriously, even if they don’t all become law immediately.

So with that background, here are the foundation’s 2012 legislative priorities announced Friday:

–Passage of the parent-trigger bill as a way of “empowering parents“. It would let them select an improvement plan for a struggling school and give them the right to see their child’s teacher’s evaluation and to opt for an online class, if the teacher is deemed “ineffective.”

–Expansion of the Tax Credit Scholarship program, which provides private school vouchers to low-income students. The Foundation wants more money earmarked for the program and more students to be able to participate, even if they were not enrolled in public school previously.

–Increased enrollment in virtual programs. The Foundation wants more students, whether they are now in public or private school or home schooled, to be able to take state-funded online courses. It also wants home-schooled students attending the Florida Virtual School full time to be able to take part in some activities — such as sports and music — at their local public school.

–Protection of school funding, with increases for Florida’s “school recognition” program, new state tests, reading programs, struggling school assistance, and bonuses for teachers whose students are successful on AP and IB exams. The Foundation also wants to “provide future funding for a performance pay salary schedule for Florida’s educators.”

–Enhancement of State Board of Education authority, so it can intervene in a school the first time it gets an F on the state’s annual school report card.

http://blogs.orlandosentinel.com/news_education_edblog/2012/01/jeb-bush-group-announces-educational-priorities-for-2012-legislative-session-and-lawmakers-are-surely-paying-attention.html