"The bottom line has to be the child"

First, 8-foot alligators start showing up in kitchens. Now Florida Democrats are voting for vouchers?!

It's no surprise the bill to expand corporate-tax-credit vouchers is on the verge of passing the Republican-dominated Legislature. But it is something of a shocker that 13 House Democrats voted for it, including Rep. Bill Heller (left) of St. Petersburg and four others from Tampa Bay.

Heller told The Gradebook he was torn. But after voting against the bill in committee, he visited the Yvonne C. Reed Christian School in St. Petersburg and talked to some of the parents who use vouchers to send their kids there. One mother him her son was failing in public school, but is doing better now. Heller was convinced she was right.

"I'm a strong advocate for public school education, and I'm not necessarily a strong advocate for vouchers," Heller said. "But if this gives a parent a chance to provide a different education, it's hard to argue against it. You can't put a price on that. What's the price on a child who turns himself around?"

Heller did not entirely dismiss the arguments, often made by fellow Democrats (30 of whom voted against the CTC bill), that vouchers divert money from public schools. But he said those concerns were outweighed by the benefits. "The bottom line has to be the child," he said. "If good things are happening for the child, then you can justify it."

The other Tampa Bay-area Democrats voting for the bill were Rep. Janet Long, D-Seminole, Rep. Darryl Rouson, D-St. Petersburg, Rep. Betty Reed, D-Tampa and Rep. Michael Scionti, D-Tampa.

- Ron Matus, state education reporter

Comments

[La di Da]

7:46,
"required to administer a test that the DOE has determined IS comparable to the FCAT"

And a fine job the DOE has done for public school children...... Maybe public schools could have the same option, or hey how about holding the parent/guardian/grandparent/probation officer accountable for once....

[Chris W]

7:46 - A test the DOE says is "comparable" to the FCAT? Would that be the Bush partisan leftovers in the DOE? Sorry, but if it isn't the FCAT then it's not the same and they're trying to stack the deck.

And as for private schools following the same rules, laws, etc., how many private schools have to accept anyone who walks in the door the way public schools do? If you let public schools start being selective about who they accept (filtering out behavior problems or slackers) you'd see a marked improvement in school quality and a concomitant rise in FCAT scores, and private schools could go back to being an alternative for the rich or hyper-religious instead of a _cause celebre_.

Concerned-"THESE" schools as you call them are required to administer a test that the DOE has determined IS comparable to the FCAT OR the student can take the FCAT. There currently is a longitudinal study comparing the gains of these students to like students in the public schools.

How is it "THESE" schools can do a great job educating low performing poor students for about one half the cost of the public schools yet still have to abide by the same laws, rules, and ordinances as the public schools.

Could it be they don't have a union running the show, and don't have over paid administrators, nor retired administrators hired as high price "consultants" doing the exact same job they did before retirement.

And to those who say these choice programs take money away from the public schools- i guess ever parent that places their child in a private schools- some of these parents being public school teachers- is then taking money away from the system because the system only gets paid for those that show up for class. So if we follow your logic we should shut down ALL private schools and all home school programs as well.

Don't forget ALL property owners pay taxes- school taxes- and that money funds public schools in our community regardless of where they send their kids to schools and regardless of household residents age.

Let the paretns decide what is best.
yes even poor parents!! That is what exactly 13 House Democrats believe too- many bucking the pressure from the union- wanting to do what is best for kids OVER what some claim is best for the system.

[Concerned]

This is ALL about the desire of many of our state legislators to get out of the "business" of education and turn it over to private sources. Again, these schools must submit to the same FCAT rules and regulations and sanctions that any public school does...and accept EVERY student who enrolls. We will see how well these schools do in a equitable comparison with our public schools.

[La di Da]

Well of course these kids are successful in private school. They don't have FCAT as a threat hanging over their heads. As a public school teacher I find it unfair that the state would fund these private schools and not hold them to the SAME standards as public schools.....
I guess what is good for the goose is not good for the gander.....

Hey, if you didn't know this, these vouchers are a big business and really go a long way to supporting churches who offer private schools. Whoops, should I have said that?

[Ann E. Mouse]

First, this is using public monies to support religious institutions. That is a clear violation of the separation of church and state.

Second, where does the FCAT fit into this scheme? Private schools are not required to administer FCAT. Neither are the required to hire trained and licensed teachers. They can hire anybody off the street.

Third, there is no guarantee that a private school will even accept a failing student or one who has bahavioral problems. How about all the kids with disabilities whose support systems will be knocked out from under them.

There are lot of reasons to vote against vouchers.

[Chris W]

As long as the schools that accept vouchers have to jump through the same accountability hoops that the public schools do, *plus* have to accept any student that wants to go there, vouchers are supportable. Absent either of those two conditions, they deserve to be defeated. And shame on the Democrats who voted for vouchers and didn't insist on these two conditions.