Rick Scott's education shell game

From the Miami herald, BY KATHLEEN OROPEZA
kathleeno@cfl.rr.com

Gov. Rick Scott played a shell game in front of our kids when he signed the state budget. He insults Floridians when he makes theater out of signing a budget that he claims “restores” funding to public education, when in fact that billion dollars does no such thing.

Last year, at this time the governor’s approval rating was 26 percent. Polls blamed Scott’s poor education performance for that number.

Last week, Scott went from school to school, “ceremonial budget” in hand, using our kids for photo ops and “signing” the budget over and over. Scott’s handlers have him taking victory laps and over-explaining how he alone increased funding to public education.

Last fall Scott repeatedly said he would not sign a budget that does not significantly increase state funding for education. The sentiment is very nice. What’s not nice is the lack of action behind it. Too many Florida politicians fail to understand the simple truth found in the old adage: “actions speak louder than words.”

Scott’s actions leave our schools with the net effect of standing still. For example, Scott knows that if he loses in court, he will have to repay the $1 billion he took from state employees in Florida Retirement System deductions. That money was never escrowed by the state.

Scott refuses to acknowledge that many districts expect a funding cut of at least $100 per student. Here’s the math that amounts to a loss of $950 million:

• $200 million — 30,000 new students;

• $200 million — 3 percent lost property values;

• $550 million — expired federal jobs money.

Scott’s claim that this $1 billion is “new money” to public education twists the truth. This money only offsets losses our schools will incur next year. An estimated 30,000 new students will enter our classrooms. Tax revenues have fallen. Federal stimulus money has expired. If politicians did not add this money, Florida schools would be over $5 billion in the hole.

Parents and voters have a better vision for Florida public education. Political polls pale in importance to our work as parents. Our vision does not include the old status quo of expensive, unproven reforms meant to hurt children, drain funds from districts and privatize our public schools.

We believe in a single well-funded system of public education that offers remarkable choices for every child. We believe in fair assessment and fair accountability. We believe that mutual respect and collaboration between teachers, parents and districts is the key to a new era of public school renewal.

For the first time every child taking the FCAT last week was forced to sign a pledge that they would not cheat on the test. Think about that. Third-graders got the message loud and clear that the state of Florida thinks so little of their character that they need to be admonished not to cheat. Last I checked, cheating and twisting the truth are one in the same.

The heartbreaking irony is written in every posed “budget” event photo. Our sweet, smiling children huddled close to the man who thinks they should sign a pledge not to cheat, yet can’t seem to tell the truth himself. Parents and voters must separate the lovely words uttered at a photo op from the actions of the man.

Kathleen Oropeza is co-founder of FundEducationNow.org, a non-partisan Florida-based education advocacy group.

Read more here: http://www.miamiherald.com/2012/04/27/2771753/scotts-shell-game-education-budget.html#storylink=cpy