Democrat Andrew Gillum could slash or even end to the state’s popular school voucher and charter school programs if he wins Florida’s gubernatorial election.
Gillum in recent statements has dodged specifics about how he plans to handle the two programs if elected, but has been clear that he opposes both, and wants them to end.
If he prevails on Nov. 6, Gillum would become Florida’s first Democratic governor in two decades. He is poised to put the brakes on a largely flourishing school choice program, the largest in the nation, that has been backed by a succession of GOP governors.
Florida’s voucher and charter school programs combined educate more than 420,000 children, or 15 percent of the state’s public school students.
Many who use the program are low-income and minority students.
The programs have proven successful but are not without critics.
A recent Integrity Florida investigation concluded the state’s charter school system needs more oversight and has suffered from a lot of the same problems as public schools, including mixed academic success, a lack of innovation, and mismanagement.
But proponents say charters and the voucher program provide a badly needed alternative for parents to escape under-performing public schools or to find a program that better fits the educational needs of their children.
“I think the Gillum team really doesn’t understand charter schools,” Lynn Norman-Teck, executive director of the Florida Charter School Alliance, which promotes charter schools, told the Washington Examiner. “And I don’t think they understand there are close to 300,000 charter school students in the state, 65 percent of which are minority kids.”
Gillum’s said this week during two televised debates that he does not support diverting taxpayer funding to programs that only support 10 percent of Florida’s students.
Charter schools are publicly funded but operate largely untethered from the public school system. They are opposed by teachers unions, who back Gillum.
Gillum’s campaign page provides few specifics about his plans for the program.
“Andrew’s strongly opposed to unaccountable, for-profit charter schools who want to use public dollars to enrich their executives,” Gillum’s campaign platform states, making reference to about half the state’s 652 charter schools that are run by for-profit companies.
Gillum also called for bringing the state’s popular school voucher program “to a conclusion.” Gillum’s office appeared to walk back that statement, saying the Democratic nominee, who is the mayor of Tallahassee, wants more scrutiny of the program and to “stop the flow of taxpayer dollars away from public schools,” the Orlando Sentinel reported.
The vouchers, which are also called tax-credit scholarships, receive about $1 billion in taxpayer funding annually. They provide money for public school students to attend private and religious schools.
Gillum said he opposes pouring state funding “into private and religious education that benefits some students, but not all.” His campaign on Wednesday did not respond to an inquiry about his specific plans for either the charter or voucher program.
Gillum this week denied plans to end funding for the programs.
“I’m not proposing any change to the current status quo,” Gillum said, when asked if he plans to cut funding for charter schools. “What we are saying is that we’re going to put money into our public system where over 90 percent of our kids are still being educated.”
Gillum’s vague and shifting statements about his plans for the programs have left school choice advocates nervous as his lead solidifies in the polls against his GOP opponent, Ron DeSantis.
DeSantis supports expanding school vouchers and charters in Florida. He trails Gillum by about 5 points.
“If Gillum wins, he is going to damage kids’ opportunities, pure and simple,” Center for Education reform Chief Executive Officer Jeanne Allen told the Washington Examiner.
It would be difficult for Gillum to simply end the charter school program, which was first encoded into Florida law in 1996 and would require new legislation to abolish it.
But he could undermine it, perhaps by fighting to block funding for charter school capital spending, which is not part of the 1996 law and comes directly from the state to help charters maintain buildings.
“If they cut facilities funding, it could be a way to destroy charters because they would have to tap into other sources to pay for the facilities,” Norman-Teck said.
The state spent $145 million on charter school building maintenance in the 2018-2019 budget, a move Gillum opposes.
School choice advocates fear if Gillum is elected governor, he will call for hearings, investigations, and ultimately legislation to undercut the programs.
“A governor carries a huge imprimatur,” Allen told the Washington Examiner. “And talking negatively about charter schools and other school choice opportunities creates a chilling effect on growth. It discourages parents, it makes teachers not want to participate. It’s basically like starting a whisper campaign.”
Allen said if Gillum moves to undermine or end the programs he will face a backlash from parents who have grown increasingly enamored with school choice in Florida.
Florida’s Tax Credit Scholarship program, which makes up the bulk of the voucher program, grew from 21,400 students to 107,095 students in the past decade.
“There would be an uprising,” Allen said.
