‘Barbarians at the gate’ push forward state school voucher program
by Michael C. Bender | March 16th, 2010Republican lawmakers in the Florida Senate took turns firing shots at the state’s largest teachers union today during a committee hearing over whether the GOP-majority wants to approve a massive expansion of the school voucher program. (They do.)
Finance & Tax Chairman Thad Altman said expanding vouchers would help reduce class sizes, a priority of the Florida Education Association, which opposes vouchers. Sen. Rhonda Storms, R-Valrico, asked FEA lobbyist Lynda Russell to read a Harvard study often cited by voucher advocates “for your education and intellectual expansion.”
Sen. Mike Bennett, R-Sarasota, challenged the union’s assertion that parents top priorities were small class sizes, safe schools and less emphasis on the FCAT.
“They don’t want better teachers for their kids?” Bennett said.
The bill’s lone opponent on the committee, Sen. Charlie Justice, D-St. Petersburg, tried to reign it all in. “Everyone has had their shot at the teachers union,” he said. “Can we get back to the bill?”
But Storms said that FEA President Andy Ford “can take care of himself.” She used her laptop to pull up a copy a recent speech from Ford, who said the union saved millions for public schools during the 2009 session and “once again fought back the barbarians at the gate.”
“That’s us … We’re the barbarians,” an upset Storms said.
Tags: Andy Ford, barbarians at the gate, Rhonda Storms, vouchers
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March 16th, 2010 at 12:07 pm
An expanded voucher program will ensure that only the poorest of children have to go to public school.
March 16th, 2010 at 12:12 pm
I really do love reading these articles considering I’m only having the live in Florida for 91 more days. Florida is kicking out the best and brightest while lying about caring about its children.
March 16th, 2010 at 12:39 pm
Rebublicans are so funny! I laugh at both of their faces.
March 16th, 2010 at 1:06 pm
Give VOUCHERS to ALL parents so that they may select a school of their choice.
Give it to the poor, the middle and the rich. ALL families with children.
They WON’T put their children in bad schools. They will put their children in schools they deem are good for their children.
FREE choice. The public schools are filled with misbehaving students, with some lousy teachers (a minority, not the majority) with a curriculum that has an agenda. There is SO much waste in public schools.
Republicans need to assure ALL parents that they have a choice.
Let’s reclaim our schools. Let’s let LOCAL parents/school board decide educational problems NOT THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT.
Ever since Carter instituted the Department of Education, the education of our country has declined.
Just look to California. Once the best in education, they are at the bottom.
Teachers are TOLD by their school board, their administrators what to teach, how to teach it and their administrators FAIL to follow through on discipline problems that interrupt classsroom instruction then how can teachers be held accountable.
Why aren’t parents held responsible for getting their children to school, returning teacher’s phone calls, showing up for parent conferences, following through with homework/
This is like blaming a doctor who fails to keep a patient (who refuses to cooperate with dr reccomendations) healthy/alive.
Vote out democrats. It’s Obama’s agenda. He’s dangling the carrot. He’s taken his children out of the public school system that Superintendent Arne Duncan ran in Chicago, and placed his kids in charter schools. Now, Obama has HIS kids in private ($29K per yr per child)school.
We want the same as Obama: charter schools, vouchers.
We want healthcare like Obama has: we don’t want Obamacare.
Ever notice how the politicians make sure they have higher retirment rates, that the public pay THEIR healthcare and they put THEIR children in better schools. And they keep INCREASING their salaries and budgets all on the taxpayers’ dime.
Out with democrats and republicans who better their life and worsen our life!
March 16th, 2010 at 2:26 pm
Anyone who thinks all parents can pick good schools for their children should visit some of the private “schools” run by churches, using workbooks in place of teachers and textbooks. I have seen people homeschooling their children when the parent has only a 9th grade education.
March 17th, 2010 at 12:35 am
The voucher program is only allowing swindlers to steal monies from our limited tax base! It has been proven before,and will be proven yet again,at great cost to the taxpayers! Are all our politicians crooked! The voucher program should be simply dropped,and lets focus on cleaning up our schools of illegals and pedofiles,and get back to the education af american citizens!!!!
March 17th, 2010 at 12:36 am
The voucher program is only allowing swindlers to steal monies from our limited tax base! It has been proven before,and will be proven yet again,at great cost to the taxpayers! Are all our politicians crooked! The voucher program should be simply dropped,and lets focus on cleaning up our schools of illegals and pedophiles,and get back to the education of American citizens!!!!
March 17th, 2010 at 10:32 am
The republicans want to destroy public education. The cons want to make teachers sheeple, instead of innovators of education. The cons will fail.