Orange County Public Schools Superintendent Ronald Blocker said, Florida has never funded education adequately, and if not done correctly, the push toward more charter schools and voucher programs could negatively impact public schools. Blocker made these observations in an interview Thursday with West Orlando News Online.
“The State of Florida has never been one to add money to education as it should, and we are underfunded compared to most states,” Blocker said. “We are in the bottom 10 percent of funding. And, if money is being taken from that pot to create charter schools and vouchers, then it makes it much harder for public schools to do their jobs. I think that that will definitely impact how well public educators are able to do their job”
In a wide-ranging interview with WONO, he said, Florida has had a great return on its investment, moving from being ranked #37 academically, in the nation four years ago, to #5 this year, and considering how much public education is underfunded. But he warned, this would not continue in view of the increased requirements being placed on the public school system.
Commenting on some of the challenges OCPS will face moving forward, Blocker said, funding would be a major one. He observed, Florida Legislature now requires that 50 percent of all text books be digitized and monies would be needed for this undertaking. Other challenges were, ensuring that teachers are trained properly to do their jobs, staying current with the changing needs of the new work environment and keeping up with the changing demographics in the district, where currently over 200 nationalities are represented among the student body.
