Robbing public schools
OUR OPINION: Drop charter school construction funding, focus on repairing dilapidated traditional schools
BY THE MIAMI HERALD EDITORIAL
HERALDED@MIAMIHERALD.COM
As roofs sag in old school buildings, air conditioners break, electric panels blow and mold grows in classrooms where students are expected to learn, the maintenance costs keep adding up in this unwinnable game of catch-up for Florida public school districts facing billions of dollars in needed repairs.
So what does the Florida Legislature propose to do about it?
Nothing substantial. Forget about alleviating this mounting public need or fixing an antiquated funding mechanism that’s shortchanging public schools. Yet public education is the state’s “paramount duty,” as voters made clear when they passed a constitutional amendment in 1998 seeking “adequate” funding for education.
A long, drawn-out recession hasn’t helped, but neither have legislators nor Gov. Rick Scott come up with a plan to ensure adequate funding. Instead, the House and Senate are looking to free up $55 million in