A new report from the Public Education Network gives Florida's public school funding an “F.”
A report on America's public schools is raising concerns among some educators and policymakers as Florida lawmakers negotiate the state's budget in the final stages of the legislative session. The Sunshine State is struggling in key areas such as public school funding, the impact of voucher and charter school programs, and teacher certification requirements, the report said.
Damaris Allen, executive director of Families for Strong Public Schools, has two children who graduated from the same public high school she attended 25 years ago and is concerned about the lack of investment in public education. I have seen it happen.
“When I compare the opportunities I had to the opportunities they had, I see that we chose not to invest in our public schools in the way our children deserve,” she said. “I think the bright side of this report is that we have nowhere to go but up.”
Lawmakers are working on a $28.4 billion K-12 public school budget for next year. The House and Senate are negotiating differences over teacher pay increases. The Senate is proposing $205 million, while the House is proposing an additional $1.3 million.
According to the report, 74% of students attend public schools, down from 86% in 2000. The report ranks states based on a variety of factors, including voucher and charter expansion, public school funding, and protections for homeschooled students.
More than 30 percent of Florida's charter schools are controlled by for-profit companies, said Moira Kaleida, national coalition director for the Alliance to Take Back Our Schools.
“So it became more of a money-making scheme than an educational program,” she said. “So when you see the focus on profit, you know the investment is not in the students.” Ta.
The report highlights several findings, including the loss of rights for students with disabilities under voucher programs and the lack of qualification requirements for teachers in many schools that accept vouchers. The report urges stakeholders to consider the long-term impact of education policy, emphasizing the important role of public schools in providing students with a high-quality, comprehensive education.
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A new survey shows two-thirds of Texas public school leaders say they want to quit, and teachers unions say parents should be wary.
Nicole Hill, communications director for the American Federation of Teachers of Texas, said the percentage of dissatisfied people in each survey increases slightly. A massive education funding plan died in the Legislature last year, and Gov. Greg Abbott said he would not support it unless lawmakers also agreed to a voucher program that would subsidize private education for students.
Hill observed that the impasse has led to burnout among school staff.
“Everyone who works in schools – teachers, nurses, counselors, bus drivers – says they are actively considering quitting their jobs,” Hill reported. “And it's not just their work at that school, but the profession as a whole.”
About 78% of educators are concerned that privatization efforts such as vouchers and charter school expansion will have a negative impact on public schools, including among Republican educators surveyed. It contains about 60%. The results also revealed that 92% of educators said they were prepared to voice their dissatisfaction in the November poll.
Hill believes parents should be concerned about who will be teaching their children, feeding them lunch and getting them home safely. Hill noted that he wants teachers to address two key things in a meaningful way to stay in the profession.
“Salary. A wage that actually reflects the value of their work and allows them to do just one job and dedicate all of their time to that job,” Hill outlined. “At the same time, you also need a workload that is actually manageable and sustainable.”
Hill added that bills introduced to address school workloads failed to receive a hearing in Congress last year. The survey solicited approximately 3,300 responses from Texas Federation of Teachers members in January 2024.
Disclosure: The American Federation of Teachers of Texas donates to our foundation for reporting on education, living wages/working families, mental health, and youth issues. If you would like to help support news in the public interest, click here.
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A new report grades states on support for public schools, and Arizona received an “F.”
The Public Education Network's America's Public Schools report examines and evaluates public education based on 42 factors, including measuring the influx of private schools and the impact of charter schools and voucher laws. .
Beth Lewis, co-founder and director of Save Our Schools Arizona, said most Arizona voters consider public schools to be what she calls “the backbone of society.”
“Strong schools create strong states, and we have disinvested in our public schools,” Lewis argued. “Our lawmakers are pulling back from funding our public schools and supporting our teachers, which will have long-term economic consequences for our states and for individual students. has simply abdicated that duty.”
Lewis argued that Arizona has the most extensive but least accountable universal voucher program in the nation. This means vouchers will be given to students whose families could have paid for private school tuition, placing what the report calls an “unnecessary burden” on taxpayers. .
Voucher proponents counter that voucher payments are often lower than the cost of educating a child in public school, thereby reducing the tax burden. But the report says this only happens when a significant number of students use vouchers to attend private schools.
In 1999, approximately 6.5% of Arizona students attended private schools. This number has hardly changed in 2021. Lewis added that while most Arizona families continue to choose public education, its funding has been significantly cut off.
“It's becoming increasingly difficult for families to make that choice because they look at all the other options and say, 'I really want my child to go to school and have a successful future. 'The state is refusing to fund my choices.' They start looking at other options,'' Lewis observed. “It's human nature. I'm a parent myself, so I understand. I just want what's best for my kids.”
She noted that charter schools are less regulated than Arizona public schools, which means less accountability, less fiscal responsibility and more questions about academic quality. The report includes a list of recommendations, including an immediate end to new charter schools and vouchers.
Disclosure: The Public Education Network contributes to the Fund for Early Childhood Education and Education Reporting. If you would like to help support news in the public interest, click here.
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More than 6 million Californians have dropped out of college before earning a degree, and a new report lays out a plan to bring them back to campus.
Researchers at California Competes, an Oakland nonprofit, interviewed more than 50 students they call “comebackers” for a report titled “From Failure to Success: Meeting Comebacker Students.” Interviewed.
When it comes to outreach, students say encouraging personal phone calls from schools are far more effective than form letters or emails, said Laura Bernhardt, a senior researcher at California Competes. he pointed out.
“Some of them said, 'If only someone would contact me and assure me that it's okay to take time off,' and explain what steps they need to take to come back,” Bernhardt said. Mr. reported. “That would have been very helpful.”
The report also praised schools such as Shasta College and Sacramento State University, which offered flexible programs that allowed classes to be taken online or shortened to eight weeks instead of the usual 16. Has options. These schools and California Competes are part of a collaborative called California Attain!, which aims to increase the educational attainment and economic mobility of California adults who have graduated from college but do not have credentials. .
Bernhardt noted that students are often reluctant to return home because they cannot afford to pay back fees and fines collected in the past.
“Research shows that if you actually forgive some of the student tuition and institutional debt, more students are likely to come back,” Bernhardt emphasized. “It can obviously be a very beneficial initiative for universities because it will lead to increased tuition revenue.”
Schools are encouraged to create marketing materials that target students of all ages, not just recent high school graduates. The report recommended schools reframe language around academic probation to let students know that probation is only a temporary setback and not a reason to be discouraged.
This report was supported by the Lumina Foundation.
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