Stop bleeding our public schools of dollars and growth opportunities

Sally Butzine
| Your turn

Vampires live among us. They hide in plain sight of the Capitol building. They drain the vital energy from public schools and their appetite continues to grow. Florida’s school voucher program is expected to double in size in the next school year and increase by 40,000 students annually under HB1, the universal school voucher bill.

When children leave their neighborhood schools for private schools, homeschooling and charter schools, the money leaves with them. Each voucher represents a loss of $7,000 to $9,000 year after year. District-run schools continue to struggle financially, forced to operate on depleted budgets. Many districts are considering closing schools or consolidating them.

So what? Because public schools are a public good just like libraries and parks.

Perhaps this analogy will explain the pitfalls of expanding this so-called parent-controlled “personalized education program.” Let’s imagine that the hungry vampires decide to allow each parent to request a leisure voucher to spend as they wish.

The first step is for the Legislature to approve the transfer of taxpayer dollars to a private organization called Step Up for Freedom (STUFF). Step Up will receive 3% of the voucher funds to administer and promote the program. Parents can request a “leisure savings account” to purchase items for their private use.

Parents can set up a play area in their garden exclusively for the use of their own family. Neighbors can jointly prohibit having enclosed playgrounds only for their street. Churches may create private playgrounds to exclude children who do not worship according to their church’s creed.

Parents who already pay for private camps and specialist support can apply for a voucher to cover costs. Country club membership fees can be subsidized to allow children to swim, golf, and play tennis at their private club.

Meanwhile, the budget for (professionally managed) parks and recreation departments receives less and less public money with each passing year. Soon, some parks and baseball fields will close. Play equipment becomes dangerous as the maintenance budget is cut. Grass and weeds grow unattended.

Too bad for children who live in apartments and who depend on their neighborhood parks for recreation and supervision when school is closed. The police are seeing an increase in petty crime and even an increase in armed violence between teenage gangs.

The parks analogy shows exactly how the school voucher program works, including the massive private organization called Step Up for Students that runs it. The vampires have made progress in their quest to destroy what they call the “government schools.”

The vampire in chief is our governor who calls public schools “indoctrination factories.” And our own Senator Corey Simon sponsored HB1, chosen by Republican leaders to carry the ball during his first year in office.

Critics say public schools need to do a better job of completing college. Even though public schools continue to educate most students, they fight with one hand tied behind their back. Teacher shortages, book bans, curriculum restrictions, students with special needs that private schools don’t want, and a general lack of respect are just some of the barriers to excellence.

Vampires don’t like sunlight. Perhaps revealing their plan will inspire the sleeping public to speak out before public education disappears. Your vote could be an issue in the heart.

Sally Butzin is a retired educator. She served on the Tallahassee Parks and Recreation Citizens Advisory Council. She particularly appreciates our public golf courses.

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