Why is Academic Accountability Essential for Pre-School Vouchers but not K-12 Vouchers?

#SaveTheLittles #StopSB1688 #FundVPK

On Monday, 1/27/2020, SB1688 will be presented before the Senate Education Committee (you can watch at 1:30pm on thefloridachannel.org). The bill (along with its House companion HB1013) seeks to expand Florida’s A-F school grade system to preschools participating in the state’s Voluntary Pre-Kindergarten (VPK) program, with financial rewards for “high performing schools,” removal from the program for “low performing” schools, and intensive reading interventions for pre-schoolers who exhibit “a substantial deficiency in early literacy.” In other words, expanding high stakes testing and accountabaloney to pre-school. As we previously wrote, we think expanding high stakes academic assessments and school grades to our littlest learners is a very bad idea.

Let us remind you that Florida’s A-F School Grade system led to the elimination of recess in many elementary schools until parents fought to get recess back. What will happen in pre-schools, where children should primarily be learning through play, when they are threatened with closure based on student academic performance? Should we just hope that children will still be allowed to play?

Back in September, the House Education Committee brought in a panel of pre-school providers to discuss Kindergarten Readiness and Early Learning. As reported in the Tampa Bay Times:

“Among the things they (lawmakers) learned was that the system needs a cash infusion, so centers can afford to pay and train their teachers, and provide the best possible services to their students. They heard about the need to support families who cannot afford the “wraparound” services that are not covered by the funding for the daily three hours of Voluntary Prekindergarten (VPK). And they repeatedly were reminded that, more than academics and testing, preschool is about play, collaboration, and other social and emotional lessons.“

In other words, providers need more funding and students need to play. (Read more here.) How did lawmakers hear that, and then create a bill that mandates more high stakes testing and A-F Pre-school Grades? Seriously, they need to be better listeners.

Florida introduced Voluntary Pre-Kindergarten (VPK), a free, universal preschool initiative, in 2005, offering 3 hrs/day of preschool to Florida’s 4 year olds. In 2005, per pupil spending for VPK was $2,500. At the height of funding in 2007-08, the program received $2,677 per student. When adjusted for inflation, the 2007-08 level would translate to $3,300/student in 2020. This year, the Governor’s budget calls for a $49/per pupil increase to $2,486. Clearly, funding needs to be a priority.

Most VPK providers (~80%) are private pre-schools. Today the program serves approximately 75% of the state’s 4 year olds, making Florida’s VPK program its largest private school voucher program.  Interestingly, Florida’s K-12 private school voucher programs (like the Tax-Credit Scholarship, the Hope Scholarship or the Family Empowerment Scholarship), have virtually NO requirements for academic standards or academic accountability. Over and over again, School Choice advocates have insisted that no such accountability measures are necessary because parents can be trusted to choose the best education for their children, essentially “voting with their feet.”

We find it interesting that the State insists on imposing standards, high stakes assessments and accountability measures on private pre-school providers but not on private K-12 providers. Are we to assume that parents know best when it comes to their 5 year olds entering kindergarten but not their 4 year olds entering pre-school? Why can kindergarteners “vote with their feet” but not pre-schoolers?

We hope senators will question the wisdom of extending high stakes test-based accountability and school grades to VPK. If they insist on state-mandated academic standards and test based accountability for our youngest voucher recipients, then they should question why such academic accountability is completely ignored for our K-12 voucher recipients.

SB1688’s sponsor is Senator Gayle Harrell. You can call her office [(850) 487-5025] and express your concerns or contact the members of the Senate Ed Committee:

• Senator Manny Diaz, Jr. (R), Chair (850) 487-5036
• Senator Bill Montford (D), Vice Chair (850) 487-5003
• Senator Dennis Baxley (R) (352) 789-6720
• Senator Lori Berman (D) (850) 487-5031
• Senator Janet Cruz (D) (850) 487-5018
• Senator Keith Perry (R) (850) 487-5008
• Senator David Simmons (R) (850) 487-5009
• Senator Kelli Stargel (R) (850) 487-5022