yougotschooled2016:
“Jeb’s Greatest Hits
Charters“Jeb Bush’s charter school is a ruin baking in the Miami sun.” New York Times
Bush co-founded a charter school in 1996 called Liberty City Charter School, which was “an image-softening vehicle for...

yougotschooled2016:

Jeb’s Greatest Hits


Charters

“Jeb Bush’s charter school is a ruin baking in the Miami sun.” New York Times

Bush co-founded a charter school in 1996 called Liberty City Charter School, which was “an image-softening vehicle for [his] political comeback.”
After opening, we can only assume Bush forgot about it as the school continued to struggle with deepening financial deficits, landlord troubles and poor academic performance. It was ultimately shut down in 2008.  JK he didn’t forget—he continues to tout this school as an achievement.

“A board member at the time called Mr. Bush’s schools the ‘least worst’ of three proposals. But she said the people working with him were aggressive to the point of bullying in pressing for approval. Immediately after he won the race for governor by winning [14 percent of] the black vote, he abandoned the school and the poor children and families with whom he had developed a personal relationship.”  #Facts


Vouchers


“Administrators who have received funding [under JEB Bush’s McCay Voucher program] include criminals convicted of cocaine dealing, kidnapping, witness tampering, and burglary.”  Miami New Times

During his time in office, Gov. Bush pushed three voucher schemes under the guise of school choice: A statewide voucher program (declared unconstitutional in 2006), the McKay Scholarship Program and the Corporate Tax Credit Scholarship Program. As a heads up, no accountability or oversight is a common theme.

The Florida Supreme Court was like, “Nope, not constitutional” 7 years after the start of Opportunity Scholarship Program (it used taxpayer money to finance private alternatives). The voucher program had no oversight and no clear link to student outcomes.

#Facts

The McKay Scholarship Program, provides vouchers for students with special needs. Again with no accountability or oversight, this led to problems including rampant fraud, students being taught in strip malls and parks, school administrators with criminal records, and schools that used corporal punishment. Naturally, after these stories came out, the Coalition of McKay Scholarship Schools were like, “if you try to hold us accountable, we’re going to peace out.” #Facts

Bush also pushed and enacted the Tax Credit Scholarship Program in 2001, which gives corporations tax cuts if they fund vouchers. Guess what? There is barely any oversight or accountability and students don’t have to take statewide tests. (Wait, weren’t tests kind of his thing?) In the grand tradition of Florida being Florida, this program was expanded last year raising the cost of the cap to nearly $1 billion.


A-F Grading

“Florida’s school superintendents association recently called for the dissolution of the A-F grading scale.” NC Policy Watch

 As governor, Bush pushed through one of the first A-F grading systems for schools, an accountability system that was supposed to pressure low performing schools to improve student achievement by attaching a letter grade to the school. In practice, school grades related more to the level of poverty in a school than a school’s achievement level
(Also, extra $$$$ for A schools, more later). #Fact

 Only A or F. Forever.

The school grades criteria has also shifted over time resulting in schools being rated #onlyAorF and the confusion brought by the policy led the current governor, Rick Scott, to sign legislation suspending low school grade consequences for the 2014-15 school year. 


Testing

"So the FCAT became the classic example of a high-stakes test. Schools held pep rallies to encourage children to do their best (and to make the scary tests seem more fun). Parents reported that their kids had stomachaches, headaches, and anxiety surrounding the FCATs.” Vox #Fact

As soon as he entered office, Bush introduced the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test, better known as the FCAT, making him one of the founding fathers (let’s be honest, this is just a title, the Heritage Foundation was really behind it) of high-stakes testing. BTW, Florida’s standardized testing is still a controversial issue.

Through his reform policies, Jeb Bush empowered the FCAT by linking student scores to a schools’ grade (see how well that worked out above). In typical #winning mindset, “A” schools received bonuses, while students at “F” schools were eligible to transfer or take part in voucher attempt part 1 (unclear how students did and ended in 2006, see above).

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