Florida: Parent trigger fails again in the Senate with a 20-20 vote (Orlando Sentinel). Insiders say Gov. Rick Scott influenced some legislators to vote down the parent trigger bill (Sunshine State News). More from The Buzz. Florida Virtual School leaders say a funding shift that takes affect this summer already is having a negative impact on the program (redefinED). U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio visits Tampa and shares his plan for federal tax credit scholarships (redefinED). As private school enrollment declines, some operators are going charter (redefinED).

Louisiana: The state's voucher program will grow by at least 3,000 more students next school year, bringing the total enrollment to nearly 8,000 (The Times-Picayune).

Connecticut: Gov. Dannel Malloy leads a rally of about 150 students, parents and teachers to protect education budget cuts (The Day). A House bill allows low-performing school districts with charter schools to count their test scores in exchange for support (The CT Mirror).

Washington, D.C.: About 22,000 students are on a wait list for public charter schools (Washington Examiner). Charter advocates ask district officials for uniform per-student funding (The Washington Post).

Arizona: The state is one of the nation's leaders for school choice, ranking sixth in a report by the Center for Education Reform (The Arizona Republic).

Texas: The House approved a measure that will allow 10 new charter school operators in two years, with 10 additional charters each year up to a maximum of 275 (The Dallas Morning News). (more…)

California: Parents of a persistently low-performing public school in Los Angeles took advantage of the state's parent-trigger law and overwhelmingly voted for the district and a charter operator to take over operations (Los Angeles Times).

Florida: An amendment to the Senate version of the parent trigger bill gives school boards - not the state - final say on a turnaround plan for a failing school (redefinED). The House passes one of the most far-reaching education bills in history, changing high school graduation requirements and bolstering career education (Tallahassee Democrat). Superintendent Alberto Carvalho shows off an innovative district magnet school that uses interactive technology and new teaching methods in what he says isn't the classroom of the future, but of today (Miami Herald).

Texas: Lawmakers in the Senate passed a charter school bill that calls for dramatic changes to the state's two-decades-old system, including allowing charters reasonable growth and the shut down of poor performers (Austin American-Statesman). Despite House representatives' ban on a school choice bill that creates school vouchers, Senate Education Chairman Dan Patrick pleaded with fellow lawmakers to help families send their children to private schools (The Texas Tribune).

North Carolina: Flawed charter school applications could prevent at least 27 out of 69 schools from opening independent public schools in 2014, the Public Charter School Advisory Council found (Charlotte Observer). More from the Raleigh News & Observer. A new bill would allow districts to create their own charter schools (Winston-Salem Journal).

Illinois: As push for more charter schools increases, Chicago's public schools could close 54 schools to offset a $1 billion deficit (The Guardian). The Illinois House is moving to put a three-year moratorium on Internet charter schools just days after a handful of suburban districts rejected the online proposals (Daily Herald). More from the Daily Herald. (more…)