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Wednesday, March 14, 2012

Florida’s Charter School Boondoggle “Not About Kids” | Scathing Purple Musings

Florida’s Charter School Boondoggle “Not About Kids” | Scathing Purple Musings:


Florida’s Charter School Boondoggle “Not About Kids”

Georgis columnist Dick Yarborough says “there about money, politics and influence peddling.”
A sharp-eyed reader suggested I might want to see what’s happening in Florida with their charter schools, and I think I’ve broken the code. It’s not about the kids. It’s about money and politics and influence-peddling. Now, things are beginning to make sense.
The Miami Herald did an in-depth study on charter school operations in Florida in December. There, charter schools are a $400 million business that has turned into one of the region’s fastest-growing industries, “backed by real-estate developers and promoted by politicians” and “rife with insider deals and potential conflicts of interest.”
The Herald says Florida lawmakers  have chipped away at local school districts’ ability to monitor