Scott Weighs In On Failing School Bill
TALLAHASSEE (CBSMiami) – A possible showdown over a hotly contested bill that would let parents at failing schools "trigger" a turnaround plan has died in the Senate on a 20-20 vote.
The bill would have given parents more power when determining what to do about failing schools; including handing it over to a private management or charter school company.
Gov. Rick Scott weighed in and urged passage, saying that the bill is "so logical."
While backers said the measure gave more power to parents, critics say the bill is simply a gift to those companies that run charter schools. "If you're in a poor performing school, don't you want your kid to get some better options?" Scott said Friday morning in an interview with WFLA radio in Orlando. "Who should be making these decisions? Shouldn't the parents? There are great traditional public schools, there's great charter schools – it's not pro-one thing or pro-the other, it's pro-accountability, it's pro-giving parents an option."
The proposal had already passed the House.
The bill is based on a similar parental trigger law in California.
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