A Community Forum On School Choice Critiques Public-To-Private Wealth Transfer

A community forum on school choice and its impact on traditional public schools happened Wednesday evening at Northwest Tallahassee’s Holiday Inn. Tom Flanigan reports much of the talk was about the transfer of taxpayer funding from the public to the private sector as the Leon School District prepares to ask voters for money to shore up its budget.

Among the presenters was public education expert and advocate Sally Butzin. She charted how Florida’s growing voucher system was transferring wealth from traditional public schools into for-profit companies and religious organizations.

“People profiting off of our tax dollars that should be going for the public interest too often are in private pockets. That is a big concern and many people have no awareness that’s happening.”

Another speaker was Democratic Lt. Governor Candidate Gwen Graham. She thinks the idea of school choice is good, so long as that choice is informed.

“We want parents to be able to make those decisions and send their children to schools with confidence that it’s the right school for their child.”

That’s something she and running mate David Jolly support. Other speakers were Leon School Board Members Rosanne Wood and Marcus Nicolas along with teacher Shari Gewanter. The conversation comes as districts across the state face funding shortfalls amid an expanded state voucher program that is steering more public dollars into private and charter schools.