蜜桃影视

In a move intended to send an angry message about new state laws governing the creation and funding of new charter schools, Florida鈥檚 Leon County School Board recently voted unanimously to reject applications from two groups hoping to open new schools in the Tallahassee area.

鈥淚t is time for the Florida Department of Education and the Florida Legislature to fix this flawed system,鈥� Schools Superintendent Rocky Hanna wrote in a commentary . 鈥淯ntil then, I will not be recommending the approval of any聽new charter school applications.鈥�

The vote, which took place at April 24, is the latest in a series of protests by traditional districts against a new Florida law, House Bill 7069, that facilitates the expansion of the charter school sector. A number of districts have pushed back against the law鈥檚 provision requiring them to share local tax revenue raised for building and maintaining schools.

Earlier last month, a Leon County Circuit Court judge dismissed a suit filed by several districts challenging provisions of the law, which also grants charter schools more autonomy from the traditional districts where they are located. Though Leon County Schools was not among the plaintiffs, Judge John Cooper made reference to Hanna鈥檚 opinion piece during the April 4 hearing at which he issued his ruling.

Initial denials of charter school applications are common in states where traditional school districts are the first stop for would-be school founders. But district overseers or board members typically cite deficiencies when rejecting applications, even if hostility to competition from charter schools is a driving factor.

District reviewers raised questions about some aspects of the applications for the two new charters, Tallahassee Classical School and Plato Academy, ultimately recommending them for approval. But in his request that the school board override the recommendations, Hanna did not cite those concerns. Instead, he noted that Florida had denied the district permission to build new facilities, and he decried the state and federal per-pupil dollars the district will no longer receive if the charters are allowed to open.

鈥淚t鈥檚 simple economics,鈥� he said. 鈥淭here is only so much money to go around.鈥�

Backers of the two charters have 30 days to petition the Florida Department of Education. Tallahassee Classical is an independent nonprofit organization. Plato Academy would be the newest outpost of the for-profit Superior Schools.

Supporters of the charters counter that the funds don鈥檛 belong to the district. 鈥淭he money follows the child, as do the expenses associated with educating that child,鈥� said Jana Sayler, Tallahassee Classical鈥檚 board chair. 鈥淲e see a distinct need for a classical public education option in Leon County.鈥�

In his formal recommendation to the school board, Hanna cited the department鈥檚 2016 denial of Leon County Schools鈥� request to build a new facility. If the state did not see a need for more district capacity, he reasoned, there is no need for additional seats in charter schools.

When the applications were submitted in February of this year, Hanna described charter school expansion as 鈥渦nregulated鈥� and referred to a screening at Leon High School of the controversial documentary Backpack Full of Cash, which depicts charters as a means of transferring public dollars to private concerns.

Tallahassee has four public charter schools and a pent-up demand for a classical-style option, said Sayler. She said the charter鈥檚 backers have heard from more than 165 families seeking a public classical school.

Critics note that one of the school鈥檚 board members is married to Florida House Speaker Richard Corcoran, an architect of House Bill 7069.

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