A Florida House panel gave bipartisan approval to a wide-ranging education bill after a contentious debate.
Much of the discussion centered on a proposal that would allow school boards to create autonomous, charter-like school networks within their districts, managed by star principals and overseen by independent governing boards.
Education Committee Chairman Mike Bileca, R-Miami, said over eight years in the Legislature, he’s heard charter school critics call for more of the regulations that apply to district schools. He said he would rather go in the opposite direction, giving more charter-like freedoms to district schools.“The idea is foster some independence” from school district management, he said. “It would enable pockets of innovation and excellence to develop … [and] unleash the talent in our districts.”
Several Democrats questioned whether the concept would create duplicative layers of oversight. Others, including Rep. Larry Lee, D-Port St. Lucie, worried about stretching star principals thin. He likened the concept to asking Bill Belichick to coach the Miami Dolphins and the Jacksonville Jaguars, in addition to the New England Patriots.
But Bileca said districts would have the ability to weigh those decisions — and change course, if necessary.
“It’s at the district’s discretion, and we have a robust accountability system, so we know if it’s working or not,” he said.
People raised concerns about other parts of the bill. Eileen Fernandez, representing Orange County Public Schools, said provisions that would require districts to take charter schools before the Division of Administrative Hearings before terminating their contracts might create a “chilling effect” for school boards that want to shut down low-performing charters.
But Chris Moya, representing Charter Schools USA, said sometimes districts terminate, or threaten to terminate, charter school contracts for political reasons. And those threats can spawn rumors that can scare parents away from a school — something the changes would help prevent.
