School leaders, students among those opposing state education bill

25 individuals bus from Duval County to Tallahassee to push governor for veto

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – A group of more than 25 school leaders, community members and students from Duval County Public Schools traveled Friday to Tallahassee to urge Gov. Rick Scott to veto a bill that could shift students from chronically failing schools to charter schools run by private organizations.

According to opponents of HB 7069, the bill would close schools and decrease district flexibility to spend allocated money, and would not help failing schools or increase teacher pay.

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The measure is perhaps best known for its inclusion of a funding program for "Schools of Hope," including charter schools in areas with academically struggling traditional schools and an expansion of the "Best and Brightest" teacher bonus system.

The Florida School Boards Association was particularly blistering in it comments about the way the bill was put together in budget negotiations between the House and Senate. The legislation emerged as a "conforming bill," tied to the budget and essentially subject only to an up-or-down vote.

Ribault, Matthew Gilbert and Northwestern middle schools are in danger of closing if they don’t get a grade of C or higher this year.

The new rule could also force over 100 other schools in Florida to close.

Looking to the future, it could potentially cause eight other Duval County schools to close if they don’t bring up their grade by the next school year.

After the group returned to Jacksonville from Tallahassee, Janiyah Williams, a 10th grade student at Ribault High School, told News4Jax she went because she's worried that the middle school she attended could be affected.

"It's to protect my school, Ribault Middle, and to show that us kids matter and our education matters," Williams said. 

Duval County School Board member Becki Couch said the daytrip gave students the opportunity to have their voices heard.

"Sometimes they don't really get (to) because they're in school when these decisions are being made," Couch said. "I think that it brought attention to the fact that there are kids and teachers and parents and grandparents who will be significantly impacted by this bill, and they have a voice, and I think our legislators need to see that. They need to hear from them. And they need to see their faces and know there is a direct impact on them."

The "Schools of Hope" program would funnel $200 million toward charter schools.