Florida TaxWatch’s Deceptive Release of Its Pro-Charter School Study
The sponsor of SB 1852, Sen. Steve Wise, R- Jacksonville, was cleary ready for the bill’s February 7th public hearing. The Senate Pre K-12 committee he chairs would hear public comments on his bill which would force local school boards to give more of their county’s property tax millage levies to charter schools. Among the first pro-charter advocates he scheduled was Florida TaxWatch (FTW), a group whom the Orlando Sentinel describes as “a business-funded think tank.” It came a no surprise that FTW was in favor of Wise’s bill. Nor are any of their conclusions:
Allowing charter schools to be their own LEAs Local Education Authority) would remove their dependency on their local district for federal and state funds. Additionally, statutes could ensure that any federal funding received by a district for the benefit of a charter school student is passed
