Scathing Purple Musings | Color me purple in Florida
Scathing Purple Musings
Color me purple in Florida, red in Washington, dark sky-blue in Israel and public school in Education
It’s Called Backdoor Legislation, Senator Gardiner, and the Florida Constitution Says You Can’t Do It
Vice President of the Florida Education Association Joanne McCall provides an effective response to Andy Gardiner’s shrill attack on the teacher’s she represents for their lawsuit against SB 850. With two days left in this year’s session, Gardiner allowed his bill addressing personal learning accounts for severely disabled students to be attached to SB 850 along with several other pieces of educat
AUG 03
One Florida Community Complains About TOO MANY Charter Schools Opening
From Sun Sentinel reporter Arun Sivasankaran: Tamarac city officials have shot down a proposal to open a charter high school within the city. At a recent City Commission meeting, officials went against staff’s recommendation and voted unanimously against granting a special exception to open an alternative high school named International High School. The denial is in the backdrop of complaints by c
AUG 02
Charter Schools USA Savage Public Relations Campaign to Sheild Them From Scrutiny
The Tampa Bay Times has now begun reporting on Charter Schools USA Hillsborough problem. Writes reporter Marlene Sokol: Frustrated by answers her staff was getting to questions about school governance, superintendent MaryEllen Elia dispatched letters this week to the boards of three schools, saying she’ll soon move to terminate their charters. The reaction? Unlike other community leaders who often
AUG 01
Hillsborough: A Fight Like No Other For Charter Schools USA
Mary Ellen Elia is no ordinary superintendent. Her Hillsborough district is the state’s 8th largest and no Florida superintendent is as positioned politically as she. Elia was the only representative from the state’s traditional public schools in newly elected governor Rick Scott’s education transition team. There was a reason for that. It was Elia’s district which in 2009 accepted a $100 millio