Florida’s senior U.S. Senator is slated to speak out against a charter school measure tomorrow, even as its prospects in the state Legislature grow increasingly dim.
The Tampa Bay Times/Miami Herald Tallahassee bureau reports that the League of Women Voters plans to host Sen. Bill Nelson at a press conference denouncing a proposed constitutional amendment creating a statewide charter school authorizer in Florida.
The group, which has become increasingly vocal on school choice issues, is holding a three-day legislative gathering in the state capital this week.
Nelson, a Democrat, is expected to address other topics, like voter registration, redistricting and funding for environmental restoration.
The proposed constitutional amendment could be taken up on the state House floor this week, but it faces a tough road in the state Senate, where it has not yet been heard. To have a chance of passing, would need to clear three committees in less than three weeks. The first of those committees, Education PreK-12, did not meet this week. Its chairman, Sen. John Legg, R-Trinity, said last month that amending the constitution, which requires the support of 60 percent of the both legislative chambers and 60 percent of statewide voters, would be a “heavy lift.”
Supporters of the amendment say that giving an entity other than a local school board the power to sponsor charters would make it harder for districts to create roadblocks to new schools, and lead to better oversight over time in a state where some districts have been more effective than others at stopping bad charters and promoting good ones. Opponents, however, say it would undermine school districts’ local control.
The big charter school controversies late in Florida’s legislative session are expected to center on facilities funding, which is set to come before a House panel Wednesday morning, and a more sweeping bill aimed at improving charter oversight and promoting “high-impact” charter networks.
