Despite being endorsed by the FEA last month, Charlie Crist has evidently per his website persisted with support of Corporate Tax Credits for Private Schools. The Education section of his website indicates support for this scheme and an expansion to public schools.
As Governor, Charlie will fully restore Rick Scott’s cuts to education. Furthermore, he’ll incentivize private investment by expanding on the tax credit currently given to Florida corporations who donate to private schools by allowing businesses to receive tax incentives for investing in Florida’s public schools as well.
This means that while the idea of expanding public school funding is laudable he does not pledge to repeal the Corporate Tax Credit for private schools. Moreover, some education activists will have a problem with more corporate money flowing into the public school system although that is probably not a concern of the Teacher’s Union.
The Florida Squeeze 
This is the final straw for me.
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So now we may have a choice between two candidates who want to turn public schools over to for-profit corporations. I bet Walton is giving both huge donations.
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This is the same as with Charlie and gay rights. He’s been endorsed by Equality Florida and the national Human Rights Campaign, but his record does not reflect someone deserving of these endorsements.
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He still supports vouchers too I bet.
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Who will hold him accountable?
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This strikes me as really bad fiscal policy (in addition to being bad education policy). These tax credits are not just deductions to reward good behavior. They empower corporations to specifically choose how and where their taxes are spent. A power we would all like to have, but we know it’s not appropriate. Allocating an education budget is the job of the legislature, not the corporations. And a result would be more inequality between schools and between neighborhoods.
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That is technically incorrect. The choice of where the money is spent will always be with the parents. A corporation can’t withhold their state income tax and say it should go to ABC School. They simply receive a deduction by contributing it to the program.
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It is not a tax deduction, it is a dollar-for-dollar tax credit—an alternative to paying into the state budget. As the PTA says, it takes money from public schools and mostly funds religious schools, for any corporation that wants to divert the usage of its tax obligations (in order to thwart the First Amendment separations). I think there is only one authorized organization at this point to receive the funds. Crist wants to add an option for corporations to dedicate their tax obligations to public schools. I am just saying that this is bad fiscal policy. The legislature is the appropriate place for the people’s will to dictate budgeting. You don’t let corporate taxpayers fund programs with a menu of choices, willy-nilly. It is not democratic and I really don’t think Gov. Crist is proposing good policy here and I think the Democratic party is selling out the people it should be representing.
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So what? Crist is running as a moderate, not as a liberal.
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Well he’s got the endorsement now so what difference does it make. he can take whatever position he wants.
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Crist is one reason I left the Democratic Party and never looked back. By the way, I have been an Independent for many years. It’s a shame that Florida has this guy to vote for, challenging Scott. Now, we have to hope this piece of work doesn’t return to his republican roots.
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Embarrassing.
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The policy embraced by Crist is actually a good one. It is one that the GOP will never accept, and their refusal to accept it undermines their credibility on the issue of “school choice.”
The fact is that vouchers are here to stay. A Democratic governor can’t repeal it, and we won’t be winning the Legislature any time soon. (We’ll likely lose seats this cycle.)
Currently, parents that utilize vouchers MUST send their kids to a private school. Crist takes the choice argument of the right and flips it on its head. He says that if you are really for choice, you should allow parents to “choose” to use that voucher to send their kids to a different public school if so desired.
It’s smart politics. If the GOP rebuffs his proposal, then we can expose that their real motivation is not to promote school choice but rather to undermine public education.
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There are going to be vouchers now for public schools? That’s the Crist proposal?
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It’s bullshit policy. Choice is not here to stay. It’s a Luntz-inspired term that is really taking away the choice of a high-quality public school by diverting resources. Fortunately, parents are waking up to this nightmare.
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How is it that Florida Dems permit themselves to be duped by this Republican former Governor? No one can truly change opinion on nearly every issue unless that person holds no convictions to begin with.
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