School choice didn't cause Florida public school enrollment crisis, it's the solution
We've all seen the recent headlines that Florida's public schools are facing significant challenges related to school closures, enrollment decreases and funding shortfalls.
Schools across the country are facing similar woes, the result of lower student enrollment due to declining birth rates coupled with federal pandemic funding coming to an end.
According to the National Center for Education statistics, public schools served 1.2 million fewer students in 2022-23 than in the last year before the pandemic, as public school employment continued to swell for decades, far outpacing student population growth.
As we stand at the edge of this new reality, with these data points in hand to help us plan for the future, there are those who insist we're in this predicament because families today have more educational options than they did in the past.
When students were assigned to schools based solely on where they lived, the schools were guaranteed the funding that came with those students. As Florida and other states have embraced education choice, funding is no longer guaranteed income for a child's residentially-assigned school. This may make financial planning more uncertain for all schools, but it's the right thing to do for our students.
The Florida model, spearheaded by my father, Jeb Bush, during his years as governor from 1999 to 2007, introduced vouchers and charter schools, along with strong accountability standards, a strengthening of teacher training programs and a widening of educational opportunities for all Florida students.
It's been 25 years since his leadership put those reforms in place. Florida's graduation rate now hovers around 90%, and we've seen options grow across all schooling sectors — a rising tide lifting all boats.
I see this firsthand as a member of the KIPP Miami board. KIPP Miami provides a tuition-free public schooling option for kids from across Miami-Dade. The school also participates in the state's Schools of Hope program, which provides increased flexibility and startup funding to educate students previously enrolled in persistently low-performing schools.
Blaming waning public school enrollment on the explosion of school choice is convenient, but it misses the actual underlying causes and overlooks the opportunities ahead.
Birth rates are down. Housing costs in urban areas are pushing families further afield. Remote work has opened the door for migration and flexible schooling options that didn't exist a decade ago.
Florida isn't alone in these challenges, but we have something many other states don't have, which is a growing K-12 student population. Not all of these students will choose traditional public schools, but there are still opportunities for traditional public schools to take advantage of supporting parental choice within their district boundaries.
For districts with declining enrollment and an inventory of underutilized, vacant and surplus facilities, the opportunity to partner with a growing public charter school or a private school in need of space could provide both a revenue stream from the district and an additional place of learning for students. Even more exciting, a public school district could offer students participating in the state's scholarship programs the opportunity to purchase classes on an a la carte basis.
Miami-Dade County Public Schools is proposing boundary changes for 11 schools, including repurposing two into specialty schools or resource centers. This will keep current public schools aligned with expectations for class size and teacher capacity while offering new educational opportunities using available facilities.
There are two ways to look at parental choice. One puts the focus on buildings and personnel and a delivery model that's barely changed since the Industrial Revolution. The other puts the focus on breaking down barriers for families and students so they can access the options they deserve no matter where they live or what income they earn.
For the past 25 years, Florida has put parents first — and we shouldn't stop now.
School choice isn't a threat to public education. The best way to improve outcomes for all students is to give families more power, not less. That is the promise that choice can offer.
Jeb Bush jr. is a business executive, education advocate and board member of KIPP Miami and the Foundation for Florida's Future.
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