BlogWood: MT Archives

The people have spoken, but Jeb! knows best

As schools around the state take funds from extra curricular activities in order to replace their perfectly good but non-conforming American flags, Jeb! is plotting to further erode the quality of a Florida education while issuing sound bite quotes to obscure his disdain for public schools.

First, the class size amendment. One of Jeb!’s favorite pastimes is ignoring the will of the people. He did it with high speed rail, and now he’s got his sights set on the class size amendment.

But Bush said he hasn't decided exactly how to renew his assault on the 2002 constitutional amendment that was pushed by Democrats and the state's teachers' union.

He would need to convince lawmakers to place the measure on the ballot or push a citizen's initiative, such as last month's Amendment 6, which reversed a 2000 voter decision to mandate a high-speed train. The repeal was backed by Bush and other state officials.
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Bush's comments revive one of the most contentious issues of a governor who early on dubbed himself an "education governor."

The 2002 voter mandate requires the state by 2010 to cap class sizes to no more than 18 students for kindergarten through third grade; 22 for fourth- through eighth-grade classes; and 25 for high school. More than 52 percent of Florida voters approved the measure, which was particularly popular among South Florida constituencies where schools are the most crowded.
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"It's deja vu," said Rep. Kendrick Meek, D-Miami, the one-time state legislator who orchestrated the class-size citizen's initiative after several unsuccessful attempts of getting it heard in the Legislature.

"We go back and forth. But at the end of the day, class size is the best thing that has happened to Florida's children," Meek said. "I'm 110 percent convinced and parents are, too."

It's the third assault Bush has launched on the class size measure. During 2002, while campaigning for re-election, Bush warned it would crash the state budget. In 2003, he urged the Legislature to ask voters to repeal the measure, saying it would "block out the sun" due to economists' estimate it could cost upward of $10-billion in construction funds alone by 2010. He warned tax increases might be required.

The real issue is control and allocation of resources: if Jeb! is required to spend a certain amount on public education in order to stay within the bounds of the amendment, he will have less money to spread around for pet projects and business tax breaks.

Rep. Dan Gelber, D-Miami, a proponent of the class size measure, predicts it will still be a hard sell for Republicans. He and other Democrats have argued that the state could afford the program if Republicans would stop passing tax breaks, which now top more than $10-billion in the past six years.

At the same time that Jeb! is exhorting his legislative cohorts to overturn the citizen’s initiative, the people are saying once again that education should be a top priority.

Among 16 issues, education warranted the most concern, with 18 percent of voters choosing it. The economy trailed with 11 percent, followed by health care with 8 percent of voters canvassed by Quinnipiac University.

Florida ranks a dismal 44 th nationally in per student spending, and teacher salaries remain far below average. Beyond increasing class size, the GOP’s solution for improving education includes forcing every public school to conform to the “Flags in the Classroom” law which mandates the display of an American flag of a specific minimum size.

I guess with all those kids in crowded classrooms, it’s important that the flag be large enough that everyone can see it.

Jeb! figures he can get away with these shenanigans by issuing feel-good sound bites to cover his, uh, actions. In the meantime, kids suffer, flag makers rejoice, and, once again, all Florida public school children will be left behind.

``Education has always been the top issue, and we're making good progress as it relates to rising student achievement.''

I’ve got your good progress right here...

The No Child Left Behind Act took effect in 2002 and aims to have all students performing at grade level by 2014. The federal government let the states set their own standards for meeting that goal.

To comply with the law, a certain percentage of students at each Florida school must perform at grade level in reading and math. Schools must meet the goals in eight different subgroups of disadvantaged students or face penalties such as paying for busing and tutoring.

Last school year, nearly 80 percent of Florida schools failed to meet the standards, which are based on the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test.

In Manatee County, 82 percent of schools did not meet the goals. In Sarasota County, that number was 66 percent. In Charlotte County, it was 71 percent.

As a result, this year Rowlett lost 20 percent of its federal funding for programs to help poor students. Teachers say they are spending so much time drilling their students in rigorous math and reading exercises required by the law that there's little time left for subjects like science and social studies.