Momentum Slows on School Choice Issues in Fla.

'Parent trigger' dies amid fierce lobbying

By Andrew Ujifusa

In a state regarded as among the most friendly to charter schools and school choice, Florida's education overhaul advocates made limited headway on those issues during the recent legislative session.

The most prominent legislation pushed by such proponents—the "parent trigger" proposal officially named the Parent Empowerment Act —passed the House of Representatives but went down to defeat on a tie vote in the Senate, after fierce lobbying from Florida school boards and the state PTA over the session's final days.

A separate proposal to require school districts to share locally raised revenues with charter schools in their jurisdictions for capital outlays on a per-student basis also failed to gain traction. Even a victory for school choice champions concerning a cap on scholarships financed by tax credits fell short of their objective in the session, which...