The state of Florida is a continent removed from California.  When it comes to education policy, however, the Gator State exists in a whole other universe.  The state can point to school voucher and tax credit programs that provide benefits to a combined total of about 54,000 youngsters.  Now, if Governor-elect Rick Scott has his way, the modest-in-scale existing programs will be taken to the max.
 
Speaking last week to a group of students who currently benefit from, and corporate donors who contribute to what Floridians call "tax-credit vouchers," Mr. Scott had the following to say: "We have a great opportunity this spring, in this (legislative) session, to make sure we pass an education bill that is 100 percent for the benefit of the kids, and give every child in the state every opportunity that you've had, to make sure that you go to whatever school you want to."
 
In an interview with the St. Petersburg Times, the governor-elect expanded upon his vision: "The parent should figure out where the dollars for that student are spent.  So if the parents want to spend it on virtual school, then spend it on virtual school.  If they want to spend it on, you know, whatever education system they believe in, whether it's this public school or that public school or this private school or that private school, that's what ought to happen."

Under terms of the plan, the state would deposit 85 percent of the current per-pupil education allocation into accounts established for each student.  Parents could then direct the funds to a school of choice, public or private.  (The current voucher and tax-credit programs are restricted to children with disabilities, and students from low-income families.)  Florida's current per-pupil allocation is $6,843, which means that the "voucher" amount would be set at approximately $5,817.

Supporters of the idea refrain from invoking the word "vouchers," referring to the arrangement, instead, as "education savings accounts."  Critics have no such reservation.  Commenting on the proposed "voucher program" in her The Answer Sheet blog, Valerie Strauss claims that the plan, "...is more likely to destroy the public school system than accomplish anything else."

While much about the incoming Governor's idea remains unclear, one thing is certain: the plan will encounter fierce political opposition and, if adopted, legal challenges.  Florida's supreme court put the brakes to a voucher program in 2006, having found that the arrangement violated a provision of the state constitution requiring a "uniform system of free public schools."  How Mr. Scott's plan would overcome the court's holding is unknown.
 
Judging from a Miami Herald article titled, "He's a different breed," the governor-elect may be up to the task.  Rick Scott is a successful businessman who lives in a mansion and reports his net worth at $219 million.  But he rose from humble origins.  "I grew up in public housing,'' Mr. Scott shares. ``I know what it's like not to have money. I went to community college."

             From the U.S. Department of Education's
                                     Office of Non-Public Education

For the first time since the inception of the program, private school teachers are eligible to apply for the U.S. Department of Education's Teaching Ambassador Fellowship program (TAF).  The Office of Non-Public Education encourages teachers in private schools to consider applying to be a fellow. 

 

The TAF program offers two, year-long tracks: the Washington Fellowship, which is a full-time appointment based at the Department's Headquarters in Washington, DC; and the Classroom Fellowship, which enables teachers to remain teaching in their schools and participate on a part-time consultancy basis for the Department, working in collaboration with the Department's Regional Offices.

 
Desirable TAF Applicants Have:

Democrats for School Reform, a national advocacy organization that supports various forms of school choice - largely within the public sector - is planning to open its tenth state chapter next spring, in California.  DFER is currently in the process of raising $1 million to launch the project.  As reported in the Silicon Valley Education Foundation's blog, Thoughts on Public Education, DFER's California chapter will focus its initial activity on the Golden State's largest school districts, and will back candidates for school board positions who favor the organization's positions.
 
DFER has announced that former California State Senator Gloria Romero has been tapped to head its new state chapter.  Ms. Romero recently ran an unsuccessful campaign for the office of State Superintendent of Public Instruction, failing to advance from the primary election by a narrow margin.  As the former chairperson of the (state) Senate Education Committee, Ms. Romero drew opposition from the teachers unions last year, when she successfully moved legislation designed to bolster the state's (unsuccessful) Race to the Top Fund bid.  The legislation included controversial elements such as the so-called "parental trigger," allowing for the imposition of significant reforms in persistently under-performing schools, if at least 50% of parents sign a petition requesting changes.

Influenza Resources for Schools

Public health authorities tell us that as many as one-in-five people in the U.S. can be expected to contract influenza during the course of a given year, and that school-aged children are four times as likely to be infected than adults.  With the flu season upon us, the following resources, developed by the Los Angeles County Department of Health Services, may be of benefit to your school:
 
A 2010-2011 Flu Toolkit contains customizable tools that you can use to encourage vaccination and promote school-based flu activities including website and newsletter alerts, model letters to parents and presentation slides, and links to other resources designed to help keep students healthy.

A communicable disease toolkit and other resources for schools.

An online training course and videos that present flu-prevention strategies for schools and students, and dispel common flu-related myths and misperceptions.

Additional flu-related materials.

The Unions Push Back

Never count the teachers unions out.  Beleagured as they may currently appear to be, the unions continue to possess gargantuan political clout.  As but one example, consider the modifications made to current legislation governing the Teacher Incentive Fund (TIF).  A pet project of the Obama Administration, the TIF provides seed money to states and public school districts wishing to experiment with education reforms such as incentive pay for teachers, and value-added measurement.  Those elements have made the program unpopular among the unions.  Now, the TIF has seen its proposed funding level reduced from $400 million to $300 million.  Even more significantly, the new legislation requires at least 60 percent of teachers who would be affected by new performance-pay systems to sign off on such plans as a condition of eligibility for receipt of a TIF grant.  You can read more about the development at EdWeek's Politics K-12 blog.

Now that Congress has passed the hotly debated compromise tax bill, what do its provisions mean for educators?  TIAA-CREF has provided a compact summary of certain features of the new legislation. 

Of particular interest to educators, the bill extends for two years: the annual $2,000 contribution amount to Coverdell Education Savings Accounts, a deduction for interest up to $2,500 on qualified education loans, and a $250 deduction for elementary and secondary school professionals for expenses incurred for books, supplies, and other equipment used in the classroom.

The new law also:

• Extends current individual income tax rates - currently set at 10%, 25%, 28%, 33%, and 35% - through 2012;
• Cuts the payroll tax by 2 percentage points for one year. This means that in 2011 employees will pay only 4.2 percent tax on wages;
• Extends federal unemployment insurance benefits for one year;
• Extends tax-free distributions from Individual Retirement Accounts for charitable contributions, for two years. It permits annual tax-free distributions to charity from an IRA, up to $100,000 per taxpayer. It also allows individuals to make charitable contributions from an IRA during January 2011 as they were made during 2010, for tax purposes;
• Contains a two-year revision to the Alternative Minimum Tax that will prevent the tax from reaching an additional 24 million households, and
• Exempts from the federal estate tax $5 million per person and $10 million per couple, and sets a top tax rate of 35 percent for the estate, gift, and generation-skipping transfer taxes for two years, through 2012.