Application for Charter Schools Way Up, Despite Lukewarm Results
Published Monday, August 15, 2011 2:15 am
BRADENTON – Rick Scott made it clear while campaigning that he favored charter schools as an alternative to the traditional public education model. As governor, no one can accuse him of not fulfilling his campaign promises, but skeptics are concerned that the moves to open the state up even more widely to charter school education are backed by too much ideology and not enough results. Scott made major waver last month when he announced that he would award all of the state's $55 million in PECO funds to charter schools, much to the chagrin of budget-ailing public schools.
Scott's message has been well received among the charter school industry. Applications are way up this year as national charter companies zoom in on a state that they recognize as sensitive to their cause. Scott wasn't the first governor to open his arms to the charter concept. Former governor Jeb Bushwas also a big advocate of the charter model and created a welcoming environment that led to Florida being 4th in the nation in the number of active charter schools with 411 statewide,
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