Constitution Review Commission Archives - Alliance for Public Schools

Florida Supreme Court strikes Amendment 8 from the ballot

SiteMGR — Fri, 07 Sep 2018 19:52:26 +0000

This afternoon, the Florida Supreme Court ruled that the controversial proposed constitutional Amendment 8 should remain off of the November ballot. They agreed with the lower court that the summary and title were misleading to voters. From the Tampa Bay Times:

Its ruling on the three-pronged initiative is final. Elections supervisors across Florida are slated to complete their Nov. 6 ballots almost immediately, to have them ready for overseas voting.

The Secretary of State’s Office appealed Cooper’s action, and the Supreme Court heard arguments on Sept. 4. [Online docket here.]

During the hearing, two justices — Charles Canady and Al Lawson — repeatedly suggested that the language before voters was clear in its intent.

“I’m struggling to understand why they aren’t going to get the main point here,” Chief Justice Canady said at one point during questioning of Ron Meyer, the lawyer representing the League of Women Voters.

The League, a vocal critic of Florida’s charter school spread, challenged Amendment 8 by arguing the proposal’s ballot title and summary obscured the true purpose of the measure: to create a pathway for charter schools to be approved outside local school boards.

The title is “School Board Term Limits and Duties; Public Schools.” The summary, too, does not use the words “charter schools.”

Four others on the court signaled during questioning that they saw logic in the League’s arguments. They took issue, for instance, with the provision that “permits the state to operate, control, and supervise public schools not established by the school board,” suggesting it does not clearly explain its the purpose or possible effects.

If the objective is to let the voters know what they’re voting on, Justice Jorge Labarga said to deputy solicitor general Daniel Bell, “why all the word-smithing? Why not just come out and say it?”

Related coverage: Florida justices ask pointed questions during hearing on Amendment 8

Amendment 8 packages three education-related measures into one ballot question. It would establish school board term limits, embed civics education in the constitution, and create a path for the creation of a public school authorizer outside the control of local school boards.

During debate among Florida Constitution Revision Commission members, concerns arose that the public school authorizer section should stand separately from the others because it could dramatically alter public education in the state.

A majority on the commission decided to tie the three together under the education umbrella, suggesting it would help stave off voter fatigue at the end of an already lengthy ballot. Some commissioners stated that the term limits and civics items might even help the authorizer piece win approval.

Related coverage: Constitution Revision Commission advances bundled education proposal to November ballot

Meyer used CRC discussions to bolster his position that the amendment’s chief purpose was not fully revealed to voters, as required by law.

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Amendment 5 puts school funding, Florida’s future in jeopardy

SiteMGR — Thu, 16 Aug 2018 16:02:16 +0000

Amendment 5 puts school funding, Florida’s future in jeopardy

Florida’s current per-pupil, school funding is below the pre-recession level, when accounting for inflation, and could be made even worse if voters approve a proposed amendment to the state’s constitution in November according to a new policy brief by the nonpartisan Florida Policy Institute.

Amendment 5 would require a two-thirds majority vote of the Florida Legislature to raise state revenues, taxes and fees and eliminate any tax breaks and loopholes. If 51% of Florida voters approve this measure on November 6th, existing special interest tax breaks and Florida’s extremely low investment in public schools would be very difficult to fix.

Melissa Erickson, executive director of the Alliance for Public Schools, said: “A thriving public education system is vital to Florida’s future. Our public schools educate Florida’s next generation of citizens and workforce of tomorrow. We find it alarming that Amendment 5 would restrict all future efforts to invest in public education and Florida’s economic growth. Lawmakers should be increasing resources for public schools as they grow Florida’s future.”

Potential funding restrictions are especially concerning since Florida already ranks low on many education funding and performance measures. Florida ranks 47th in attracting and retaining effective teachers, 44th in high school graduation rates, 42nd in spending per K-12 student, 49th in K-12 spending as a percentage of personal income and 42nd in per pupil spending for Voluntary Pre-K (VPK)

The Florida Policy Institute’s brief notes that, after adjusting for inflation:

Florida’s per-pupil investment in 2016 was 22.9 percent below the pre-recession level. Out of the 50 states, only Arizona, a state with a supermajority requirement, made deeper cuts during this time period.

Teacher pay in Florida has dropped more than any other state — 12.2 percent— since 2009.

Florida has cut state capital spending by 71 percent between 2008 and 2016.

Funding for capital improvements like new construction, repairs, and new technology has not returned after the Great Recession. Schools across Florida have fallen into disrepair forcing many districts to rely on local tax measures to attempt to fill the gap. The brief notes that the American Society for Civil Engineers gives the infrastructure of Florida’s schools a D+. However, the state legislature continues to pass measures that force public schools to share their scarce capital dollars with privately managed, charter schools.

Without additional revenue for public school construction and repairs, students will continue to suffer conditions unsuitable for learning. A supermajority requirement like the one proposed in Amendment 5 would make returning to pre-recession levels of construction funding much harder, keeping many students in old, deteriorated buildings or portables past their expiration date.

Joseph F. Pennisi, executive director of the Institute, said: “This is clear evidence that the status quo in Florida needs to change, and fast. Lawmakers need to invest in education to provide economic opportunity and prepare students for success in the 21st century workforce. Neither of these things will be possible if lawmakers can’t raise revenue to improve conditions for children and families in Florida.”

WHAT CAN YOU DO? During this election season, be sure to research your candidates and ballot amendments. Use voter guides from non-partisan organizations like the League of Women Voters to help educate and inform yourself on this and other issues that affect children and the future of Florida.

Please sign up to stay informed of issues impacting children, teachers and public schools. Make sure you are registered to vote and be ready to vote for kids August 28th and November 6th.

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Charter schools behind deceptive Amendment 8

SiteMGR — Tue, 17 Jul 2018 14:52:51 +0000

In November, Florida voters will have a chance to vote on Amendment 8, a proposed addition to the state constitution. This proposal claims to require school board term limits and civics literacy but it actually creates a state-wide committee that would have the sole authority to authorize charter schools.

As News 4 in Jacksonville reports, companies with a lot to gain from the passage of the amendment are behind a campaign to convince Floridians to vote yes:

Companies with ties to charter schools and a controversial federal visa program are providing the bulk of contributions to an effort to pass a constitutional amendment that would impose an eight-year term limit on school board members.Through June, the 8isGreat.org political committee has raised $54,532 in support of Amendment 8, state election records show.The amendment, which was approved by the Florida Constitution Revision Commission, would impose term limits on school board members but would also provide more authority to the Legislature to create alternative public education initiatives, like charter schools.The amendment also would require civics literacy instruction in the public schools.Nearly three-quarters of the money raised by the 8isGreat group has come from companies involved with charter schools.Red Apple Development, a Fort Lauderdale company that has helped develop more than three dozen charter school projects in Florida, donated $10,000 to the amendment effort.GreenAccess, a Jupiter company also involved in more than three dozen charter schools in Florida, donated $15,000.Florida Overseas Investment Center, a Sarasota company, also made a $15,000 contribution to the amendment campaign, records show.GreenAccess and Florida Overseas Investment are both involved in the EB-5 investor visa program, which provides a path to U.S. residency for wealthy foreign immigrants.Under the program, the foreign investors can obtain a “green card” for themselves and their families if they provide at least $500,000 for projects, such as schools, that are tied to job creation.Critics have said the visa program is loosely regulated, while supporters have defended it as a way to direct investments and jobs to under-served communities.Amendment 8 is one of 13 state constitutional amendments on the Nov. 6 general-election ballot.Each amendment will require support from at least 60 percent of the voters to be enacted.The Florida League of Women Voters has filed a lawsuit against the amendment, claiming that the ballot language is misleading. The League acted as a watchdog during the Constitutional Revision Commission hearings and says its “proposed ballot title and summary fail to inform voters of the chief purpose of the revision, and are affirmatively misleading as to (its) true purpose and effect.” If they prevail, the proposal will be tossed from the ballot. If they do not, it is up to public education advocates to spread the word that #8isNOTgreat and to vote no on this proposal that will remove local decision making for charter school authorization. Click here to register to vote or request a vote by mail ballot.

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Powerful commission and election will determine the future of Florida

SiteMGR — Fri, 07 Jul 2017 16:43:32 +0000

The 2018 election season is already shaping up to be a momentous one for Florida’s public schools. The governor’s office and cabinet positions will be on the ballot along with other seats including the U.S. Senate, House and a slew of State House and Senate races.

Every 20 years the Constitution Revision Commission meets and proposes amendments to the Florida Constitution. Their amendments will appear on the already lengthy 2018 ballot. The outcome of this election will potentially change the future of school funding, vouchers, charter schools and more.

A new survey from Florida TaxWatch found 77 percent of Florida voters said they haven’t heard about recent Constitution Revision Commission meetings. Another 13 percent of respondents, according to the survey, said they only saw, read or heard “a little” about the commission’s activities.

Those findings come after months of public hearings across the state to get input from Floridians on issues important to them. According to the TaxWatch, about 2,350 citizens have attended the meetings, and more than 900 Floridians have addressed the commission on a variety of issues. Florida Politics

Members of the Commission were appointed by Governor Scott and other state leaders and serve at their pleasure. These members have the sole power to determine what issues make it on the ballot yet, most Floridians have never heard of them. In spite of their power, the voters will have the final say in what becomes the law of the land.

For the first time, the commission’s work product will need support of three-fifths of those voting. That means every “No” vote is worth 1.5 times as much as every “Yes” vote. It’s always hard to amend the Constitution – it should be – and the 60 percent rule makes it even harder…

Voter turnout will be less in a non-presidential year, and candidates for governor and Cabinet seats can capitalize on various amendments – for or against them – in their campaigns. But it might be tactically safer for them to avoid the referendum issues, rather than alienating voters on either side.

In any event, people tend to vote against anything they’re not sure of – if they vote at all, down at the end of a long ballot.

So to get 60 percent, the amendments will need public confidence that they were debated fairly and adopted by experienced, well-meaning leaders who looked beyond the horizon and thought of Florida’s future. News-Press

The Florida voter has the power to decide the future of the state. Tell your elected officials and Governor Scott that students and their public schools are important to you. One click and you can send a message to politicians that kids and their schools must be a priority when they return to Tallahassee this fall.

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