The Ranking House Education Democrat and PreK-12 Appropriations Chairman both said this week the state should re-examine the formula for how security funds are distributed to schools.

Their comments come on the heels of reported concerns from administrators at smaller charter schools who are struggling to pay for security officers to protect their schools.

Rep. Shevrin Jones, D-West Park, the Ranking Democrat, said the state needs to respond to the shortfall at some schools by taking a new look at the distribution formula.

“It would be my hope that the leadership in Tallahassee recognizes that this is an issue that we can’t sweep under the rug,” Jones said. “We need to tackle this issue head on. My suggestion would probably be to look at a state that is doing this right, to see how they calculate school safety into their budgets.”

Rep. Manny Diaz, R-Hialeah, the Education Appropriations chairman, agrees. He said the state should reevaluate the formula, especially for small independent schools.

The concerns stem from a new state law passed in the wake of the shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland. The law requires all public schools to hire a School Resource Officer (SRO), a sheriff deputy or a trained employee to carry a gun on campus. The law, passed as SB 7026, gave public schools an additional $97.5 million for resource officers.

But administrators of several smaller charter schools have said they are being forced to choose between security and teachers because it has been difficult to afford an SRO. And a more affordable option – a training program for employees who could carry a gun – has been implemented in just 22 of the 67 districts to date, according to the Florida Department of Education.

Gov. Rick Scott called on Tuesday for lawmakers to redirect $58 million of unused funding from the guardian program to school districts for additional security. But, according to the Associated Press, key lawmakers, including incoming Senate President Bill Galvano, R-Bradenton, are not on board with Scott’s proposal.

Galvano wants to continue to address school security in 2019. He recently wrote in a series of tweets that “we cannot be complacent, or think the work is done. We must continually review existing policies and encourage new ideas to keep our students safe.”

Other lawmakers are also weighing in.

Rep. Randy Fine, R-Palm Bay, who introduced legislation to enhance security at Jewish day schools in 2017, thinks sheriff’s departments should play a bigger role.

“In those school districts where the sheriff has chosen not to offer a guardian program, the charter schools need to take that up with their local politicians,” he said. “Law enforcement has an obligation to protect children no matter where they are.”

Rep. Jennifer Sullivan, R-Mount Dora, who served as vice chair of the Education Committee, said she is evaluating schools’ discretionary funding and how the funds are being used.

Sen. Dennis Baxley, R-Ocala, said school districts need more options to comply with the law. He said the private sector could offer school districts tangible help. The current law does not include private security firms as an option for schools.

“The private sector can provide any level of care that you want,” Baxley said. “We need some way to provide for great diversity, size and shape of schools. They are not alike. I think the private sector has a lot of answers, not only on staffing but how to better secure its campuses with electronics and cameras.”

 

Vouchers and testing. A new report from the Fordham Institute finds that mandated testing - and even public reporting of test results - isn't that big a concern for private schools worried about government regs tied to vouchers and tax credit scholarships. Coverage from redefinED, Choice Words, the Cato Institute's Andrew J. Coulson and Gradebook. AEI's Michael McShane says Florida's tax credit scholarship program (which, altogether now, is administered by Step Up For Students, which co-hosts this blog) finds the "sweet spot" with its testing and financial reporting requirements: "These regulations don’t sound too crazy to me; they seem to strike a good balance of accountability for safety, fiscal responsibility, and academic performance without being overly dictatorial in how schools must demonstrate any of those."

Shooting rockets. Senate President Don Gaetz tells the Associated Press that Florida needs to slow down on ed reforms until it rights the new teacher evaluation system and other changes in the works: "We need to quit shooting rockets into the air. We need to give schools and school districts, teachers and parents time to institutionalize the reforms that have already been made. We need about a two-year cooling off period."

Ford Falcons. Schools need competition. EdFly Blog.

School choice. Education Commissioner Tony Bennett says at a National School Choice Week event in Tampa that some Florida districts deserve credit for expanding public school options such as magnets and career academies, reports redefinED. More from Tampa Tribune.

Charter schools. The National Alliance for Public Charter Schools ranks Florida fifth for its charter laws.  SchoolZone. Gradebook. South Florida Sun Sentinel. StateImpact Florida. The Pinellas school district postpones a decision on whether to close a long-struggling Imagine school in St. Petersburg, reports the Tampa Bay Times and Tampa Tribune. The Volusia district's decision to shut down a struggling charter in Deland is headed to appeals court, reports the Daytona Beach News Journal. (more…)