Erika Donalds Talks Future of Florida Education

AS THE MIDTERM ELECTIONS DRAW CLOSER. ONE OF THE TOPICS AT THE CENTER OF FLORIDA'S RACE FOR GOVERNOR IS THE FUTURE OF THE STATE'S SCHOOL CHOICE PROGRAM FOR MORE THAN 25 YEARS. NOW, THE SYSTEM HAS ALLOWED STUDENTS FROM KINDERGARTEN THROUGH THEIR SENIOR YEAR OF HIGH SCHOOL TO USE PUBLIC EDUCATION, MONEY AND RESOURCES FOR EDUCATIONAL SERVICES OUTSIDE OF THE PUBLIC SCHOOLS AND THAT INCLUDES CHARTER SCHOOLS. WGCUS DAYNA HARPSTER SA DOWN WITH ERICA DONALDS. SHE'S AN ADVOCATE OF SCHOOL CHOICE. FOUNDER OF THE EDUCATION FREEDOM FOUNDATION AND ONE FO FLORIDA GUBERNATORIAL CANDIDATE MYRON DONALDS. WE'RE GOING TO LEARN MORE ABOUT HER EDUCATIONAL EFFORTS. IF SHE BECOMES THE FIRST LADY OF FLORIDA. >> HOW DO YOU ENVISION YOUR ALL IF IT HAPPENS AS FIRST LADY OF FLORIDA? >> I WOULD SEE A CONTINUATION OF A LOT OF THE CAUSES THAT I'VE BEEN CHAMPIONING HERE IN THE STATE FOR THE PAST 15 YEARS. I REALLY STUDIED THE ISSUE OF EDUCATION, FREEDOM, EDUCATION, ACCOUNTABILITY WHEN IT COMES TO OUR ACADEMIC OUTCOMES HERE IN THE STATE AND ACROSS THE COUNTRY. AND I WOULD DO THAT, I THINK FROM A LARGER PLATFORM. IF I'M BLESSED TO BE THE FIRST LADY OF FLORIDA CONTINUING TO ADVOCATE FOR FAMILIES WHO NEED EDUCATION OPTIONS FOR THEIR CHILDREN. JUST LIKE I DID WHEN OUR CHILDREN WERE YOUNG, I NEEDED SOMETHING OUTSIDE OF THE TRADITIONAL SYSTEM. AND I WANT TO MAKE SURE EVERY SINGLE FAMILY HAS ACCESS TO THOSE OPTIONS. THE MAJORITY OF YOUR WORK SINCE LEAVING THE FINANCIAL SECTOR HAS BEEN IN SCHOOL CHOICE ADVOCACY. >> A SCHOOL CHOICE PROGRAMS ACTUALLY IMPROVING STUDENT OUTCOMES. AND WHAT'S THE STRONGEST EVIDENCE OF THAT? >> WELL, THEY ARE AND THERE ARE SEVERAL MANY STUDIES DON'T EVEN SAY SEVERAL. THERE'S AND NEARLY 100 STUDIES AND THE MAJORITY OF THOSE SHOW POSITIVE EFFECTS. THE STUDY, ANYTHING FROM SCHOOL SAFETY, A LOWER RATES OF DISCIPLINE ISSUES TO HIGHER PERFORMANCE. EVEN HERE IN FLORIDA, OUR OWN DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION FOR THE PAST. 25 YEARS HAS COMPARED CHARTER SCHOOL ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE TO THE TRADITIONAL PUBLIC SCHOOL SYSTEM. AND IN NEARLY EVERY SUBJECT, EVERY GREED, THE CHARTER SCHOOLS HAVE OUTPERFORMED THE TRADITIONAL PUBLIC SCHOOLS, INCLUDING WITH THE MOST DISADVANTAGED STUDENTS AND CLOSING THE ACHIEVEMENT GAP. ASIDE FROM THAT, THOUGH, THE EVIDENCE IS THAT PARENTS WANT THESE OPTIONS FOR THEIR CHILDREN. AND FOR THOSE OF US WHO BELIEVE THAT PARENTS KNOW BEST, WHAT THEIR CHILDREN NEED, THE FACT THAT A HALF A MILLION STUDENTS ARE ALREADY USING A UNIVERSAL PRIVATE SCHOOL CHOICE PROGRAM. ANOTHER HALF A MILLION IN SCHOOLS OF CHOICE, WHETHER THOSE BE CHARTER SCHOOLS, AUREUS OR SCHOOLS WITHIN THE DISTRICT SYSTEM I THINK WE'RE SEEING THE EVIDENCE THAT PARENTS WANT THE DIVERSITY OF OPTIONS, THEIR EDUCATION SYSTEM SIMPLY BECAUSE THEY SAY IT'S SO. >> YOU CUT THE EDUCATION SYSTEM, WASTEPRO BUREAUCRATIC AND MONOPOLISTIC. WHAT SPECIFICALLY WOULD YOU CHANGE FIRST ABOUT PUBLIC EDUCATION? >> THE NUMBER ONE THING I THINK WE CAN CHANGE TO CHANGE THE CULTURE OF PUBLIC EDUCATION TO BE MORE STUDENT-CENTERED AND MORE RESPONSIVE TO PARENTS IS TO ALLOW FOR FREE MARKET COMPETITION IN THE EDUCATION SECTOR MAKING PARENTS THE ONES WHO ARE CONSUMERS OF EDUCATION, THE ONES WHO ARE IN THE DRIVER'S SEAT AND DECIDING HOW THE FUNDS ASSOCIATED WITH THEIR CHILD ARE GOING TO BE SPENT, WHETHER THAT IS TOWARDS THE NEIGHBORHOOD PUBLIC SCHOOL, A CHARTER SCHOOL, A PRIVATE SCHOOL OR SOME CUSTOMIZED OPTION COULD BE A COMBINATION OF HOME SCHOOLING OR HYBRID SCHOOLING. THE FACT THAT THE PARENTS ARE THE ONES TAKING RESPONSIBILITY FOR THAT DECISION. AND THEN LIVING WITH THE CONSEQUENCES OF THAT DECISION. I THINK CHANGES THE CULTURE OF PUBLICLY FUNDED EDUCATION IN OUR STATE AND IN OUR COUNTRY. THAT'S THE NUMBER ONE THING THAT WE CAN DO TO MAKE ALL SCHOOLS MORE RESPONSIVE TO THE NEEDS OF STUDENTS. >> YOU FILLED ORGANIZATIONS AND BUSINESSES AROUND THE CHARTER SCHOOL SECTOR AND AT TIMES BEEN CRITICIZED FOR MIXING ADVOCACY AND FINANCIAL INTEREST IN SCHOOL, SUPPORT SERVICES SUCH AS FUNNELING PUBLIC MONEY INTO UP TO MADDEN, UP TO MANAGEMENT SOLUTIONS HOW WOULD YOU ADDRESS THOSE CRITICISMS? >> I WONDER IF ANYONE WOULD CHARACTERIZE PUBLIC SCHOOL DISTRICTS FUNNELING MONEY INTO SCHOOL. PUBLISHING COMPANIES LIKE PEARSON WEBSTER. WE DON'T USE THOSE TYPES OF TERMS WHEN IT COMES TO ANY OTHER EDUCATIONAL SERVICES THAT MAY BE CONSUMED BY SCHOOL DISTRICTS. THE OPPOSITION ONLY USES THOSE TERMS WHEN THEY'RE TALKING ABOUT SCHOOLS OF CHOICE AND OPTIONS THAT FAMILIES CAN USE TO OPT OUT OF THE MONOPOLISTIC SYSTEM THAT THEY HAVE BEEN TRAPPED IN FOR THE PAST 50 YEARS. SO I REJECT THAT CHARACTERIZATION. I AM A PROFESSIONAL AND I'VE STARTED SEVERAL BUSINESSES, ALL OF WHICH OUR FULLY AUDITED FULLY COMPLIANT AND WE'RE PROVIDING A VALUABLE SERVICE TO THE SCHOOLS TO HELP THEM GET STARTED, TO BUILD THEIR BUILDINGS, TO SECURE FINANCING, TO PROVIDE ACCOUNTING, HR. AND IT SERVICES EVERY SCHOOL AND EVERY BUSINESS IN THE COUNTRY HAS TO PAY FOR THESE SERVICES AND PAY MARKET RATES. AND I'M NOT GOING TO APOLOGIZE FOR BEING A PROFESSIONAL BEING A BUSINESS OWNER IN PROVIDING VALUABLE SERVICES THAT ALLOW FAMILIES TO HAVE THE HIGH-QUALITY OPTIONS THAT THEY DESERVE. >> ANOTHER THING THAT STRONG CRITICISM NATIONALLY WAS IS PEOPLE CITING INCONSISTENT ACADEMIC RESULTS AND FINANCIAL TRANSPARENCY ISSUES HOUSED IN STATES REGULATE CHARTERS WITHOUT UNDERCUTTING THEIR FLEXIBILITY. >> I THINK ALL SCHOOLS SHOULD BE HELD ACCOUNTABLE FOR BOTH FINANCIAL AND ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE. AND IT DOES START WITH WHAT PARENTS WANT. AND WE'RE SEEING THAT ACCOUNTABILITY TAKE PLACE EVEN HERE IN FLORIDA AS MANY SCHOOLS THAT PARENTS HAVE OPTED OUT OF INCLUDING DISTRICT SCHOOLS. NOW ARE BEING FORCED TO CLOSE BECAUSE PARENTS ARE CHOOSING A DIFFERENT OPTION. THAT'S EXACTLY WHAT SHOULD HAPPEN. WHETHER A CHARTER SCHOOL, A PRIVATE SCHOOL OR A PUBLIC SCHOOL WHEN PARENTS SAY YOU'RE NOT DOING THE JOB EITHER BECAUSE YOU'RE NOT KEEPING CHILDREN SAFE, YOU'RE NOT ENFORCING DISCIPLINE WELL ENOUGH OR YOU'RE NOT GETTING THE ACADEMIC OUTCOMES THAT ARE REQUIRED FOR STUDENTS TO BE SUCCESSFUL. THOSE ARE THE SCHOOLS THAT SHOULD NO LONGER EXIST. THOSE FAMILY SHOULD HAVE OTHER OPTIONS AVAILABLE TO THEM. AND THAT'S WHAT WE SEE IN THE PRIVATE SECTOR AND IN THE CHARTER SECTOR. THAT'S WHAT HAPPENS. THE ONLY WAY THAT THOSE SCHOOL SURVIVE IS IT PARENTS CONTINUE TO CHOOSE THOSE SCHOOLS. THE ONLY WAY PARENTS CHOOSE THEM IS IF THEY BELIEVE THAT THEY'RE WORKING WELL FOR THEIR CHILDREN. AS LONG AS YOU MAKE SURE PARENTS HAVE ALL THE INFORMATION THEY NEED TO MAKE THOSE DECISIONS. I BELIEVE IN ACCOUNTABILITY THROUGH TRANSPARENCY AND ALLOWING PARENTS TO VOTE WITH THEIR FEET. >> AND WHAT ABOUT THE STUDENTS WHO ARE YOU MENTIONED THE ENROLLMENT ERS DECLINING AND SCHOOLS CLOSING. WHAT ABOUT THE STUDENTS WHO ARE LEFT BEHIND IN THE PUBLIC SCHOOLS WHO DO NOT GO TO ANOTHER SCHOOL? WHAT HAPPENS TO THEM? >> MY HOPE IS THAT THE TRADITIONAL PUBLIC SCHOOLS CONTINUE TO SERVE THOSE STUDENTS TO THE BEST OF THEIR ABILITY. THERE ARE ACTUALLY GETTING MORE FUNDING ON A PER-STUDENT BASIS. THE MORE STUDENTS THAT TAKE ADVANTAGE OF SCHOOL CHOICE BECAUSE OF THE WEAR. FUNDING FORMULA WORKS. THEY HAVE ADDITIONAL FUNDING IN ORDER TO MEET THE NEEDS OF STUDENTS THAT REMAIN IN THE TRADITIONAL PUBLIC SCHOOL SYSTEM. AND I HOPE THAT THEY WOULD CONTINUE TO BE MORE EFFICIENT WITH THOSE DOLLARS AND FOCUS ON GETTING RESULTS FOR THE STUDENTS THAT REMAIN IN THEIR CARE, PARTNERING WITH THOSE PARENTS AND MAKING SURE THAT WHAT THEY'RE OFFERING DOES ALIGN WITH WHAT PARENTS ARE LOOKING FOR SO THAT THEY CAN RETAIN THEIR RESPONSIBILITY FOR TEACHING THOSE STUDENTS. I WOULD LIKE TO SEE PUBLIC SCHOOLS CREATE MORE DIVERSE OPTIONS, INCLUDING MAGNET SCHOOLS AND OTHER SPECIAL PROGRAMS THAT WOULD ALLOW THEM TO COMPETE WITH SCHOOLS OF CHOICE AND PROVIDE PARENTS EVEN MORE OPTIONS. >> AS DONALD, THANK YOU FOR JOINING ME TODAY. >> THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR HAVING