by Kathleen Haughney
The News Service of Florida
As Gov. Rick Scott backs away for now from a push for an expanded school voucher program, former Gov. Jeb Bush’s education foundation has begun quietly circulating draft legislation that may serve as the Legislature’s template to massively expand the number of charter schools throughout the state.
Scott’s budget team last week preached the governor’s belief in school choice, saying Scott wanted to expand virtual school offerings, allow more students to transfer from failing or sub par schools and create more charter school opportunities.
Meanwhile, Bush’s Foundation for Florida’s Future has brought forth a plan that would allow colleges and universities to open charter schools without school district approval and set up a system for the per-student funding to follow the student and not be tied to a school district.
The governor and the foundation got a high-profile push from former D.C. schools chancellor Michelle Rhee, who made her name by promoting school choice and firing teachers she deemed failures.
Rhee, who also serves as an informal adviser to Scott, was in Tallahassee to lobby the Legislature on an education reform issues.