Is Rick Scott a wildcard on 'parent trigger' bill?
TALLAHASSEE — A bill that empowers parents.
A bill that hands public schools over to private interests.
A red herring.
No matter what you think of the so-called "parent trigger" proposal, one thing was made clear Thursday: The bill will be among the most contentious of the legislative session.
The proposal, which would allow parents to petition for dramatic changes at failing public schools, including having a charter school company take over, won the approval of a House education subcommittee Thursday by an 8-5 vote along party lines.
It was also the subject of a memo from Education Commissioner Tony Bennett to Rep. Carlos Trujillo and Sen. Kelli Stargel that pointed out some potential pitfalls. Gov. Rick Scott acknowledged Bennett's memo had already made its way to his