Eric Fresen's Just Because

Most people won’t care what a state representative from south Florida says or does unless they live in south Florida.  That however would be a mistake especially when it comes to Miami’s Eric Fresen because what he says and does affects us all.  

Fresen is one of the most powerful men in Tallahassee and despite the fact his family owns and operates charter schools he often votes on charter school legislation that is favorable to the industry. When asked why charter schools should be allowed to open in neighborhoods with thriving and successful schools, hurting them by siphoning away resources, Fresen said in the Sun Sentinel,    "I would never put a facility above the academic options of children."

There you have it, he thinks we should have charter schools, “just because.” Not because they do a better job, the Stanford Credo the definitive charter schools study said they do not and not because they are needed either as more and more charter schools, many of which are managed by for profit management companies are setting up in neighborhoods that already have great schools, but “just because”.

In Florida over 295 have taken public money and failed leaving families and communities in a lurch and this includes two already this school year, not calendar year mind you but since school started a couple weeks ago.

Finally, please don’t let the words “school choice” fool you, its privatization that Fresen and his friends want, and not for the sakes of our children but for the sakes of their bank accounts. It is way past time we reined in the charter industry. As a group charters do more harm than good.