NEWS

Lee County School Board may back out on opt-out

EMILY ATTEBERRY
EATTEBERRY@NEWS-PRESS.COM
Lee County School Board members, Top: Don Armstrong, Jeanne Dozier. Bottom: Mary Fischer, Cathleen Morgan, Tom Scott
  • The meeting is at 8%3A30 a.m. on Tuesday at the Lee County Education Center
  • The board only needs three votes to rescind the opt-out motion
  • Armstrong and Scott continue to support opt-out

Opt-out may be a thing of the past.

Lee County School Board member Mary Fischer said Friday afternoon that she changed her mind about the benefits of opting out, calling for the board to rescind the motion at a special school board meeting.

Fischer, who served as the tiebreaker at Wednesday's 3-2 vote, called for the meeting to discuss repealing the sweeping decision. The meeting will be held at 8:30 a.m. on Tuesday at the Lee County Education Center.

The school board often needs four votes, known as a "super majority," to rescind a decision. But district spokeswoman Amity Chandler said Tuesday's motion can be passed with the regular three votes, per Robert's Rules of Order.

Fischer said she saw firsthand testing's negative impact on teachers and families, but was having second thoughts after she learned more about opting out's potential consequences.

"I have to take responsibility for not being totally informed," Fischer told The News-Press. "It was not responsible of me to not have done my homework, and I missed a few things.

"I really do think I lead with my heart a lot of the time."

Don Armstrong and Thomas Scott voted to opt out and do not plan to change their votes.

"I think we drew a line in the sand and it was way past time to make a decision," Scott said. "Without making that decision, we couldn't reorganize how we teach our students. I'm sick of the state jamming their mandates down our throats ... and never giving us a dime for it. And I'm going to stick to my position."

Mary Fischer

Early meeting

The meeting time raised some eyebrows.

Fischer and Armstrong asked to move the meeting to 6 p.m. to be more convenient for the public, but Chandler said the early morning is the only time all board members can attend. Cathleen Morgan and Jeanne Dozier are slated to attend a meeting later that day.

Armstrong suspected the meeting time was intentionally inconvenient.

"Having this meeting so early in the morning ... what does it look like to you? The public can't come to the meeting if it's that early," Armstrong said.

Bob Schaeffer, the public education director for the National Center for Fair & Opening Testing (FairTest), agreed.

"The decision to schedule the special session at 8:30 a.m. on a weekday — when working parents of Lee County public school students and district educators, two groups that apparently support your initial majority vote according to all available polls — are unable to attend is outrageous," he wrote in a statement.

Steve Teuber, former school board member and candidate in District 4, said the meeting time was ridiculous and disenfranchises the public.

Public response

The initial vote to the opt-out struck a nerve in the community and even made national headlines. Board members reported an inundation of emails and phone calls representing both views on the issue.

Jeb Bush's education foundation in Tallahassee released a statement Friday morning scolding the board for opting out.

"We are deeply disappointed by the Lee County School Board's vote to abandon Florida's academic tests," said Patricia Levesque, CEO of Foundation for Excellence in Education, in a statement. "The Lee County School Board is neglecting its duty to ensure a meaningful education for their students and uphold state law."

Teuber echoed that sentiment.

"There's no doubt we're testing too much ... but the board made a tactical error by shooting from the hip. We have nothing to go from and no plan in place and we put our kids in harm's way," he said. "The district faces huge lawsuits, class-action lawsuits. We can't afford that kind of irresponsibility."

Schaeffer criticized what he called Superintendent Nancy Graham's "massive public relations campaign" to undermine the board's decision to opt out.

Despite what happens at Tuesday's vote, Opt Out Orlando co-founder Cindy Hamilton said the board's original decision is a significant step in the opt-out movement.

"If (Mary Fischer) were to rescind her vote, the impact across the state will not change very much," she said. "For us who have worked on opt-out for years ... it's incredible to see it all play out. It's such a huge step."

Staff writer Dave Breitenstein contributed to this report.

Charter Schools

The interim superintendent, Kim Lunger, with legal assistance, will examine several state charter statutes that may provide exemption from the decision made by Lee County board members.

Statement from Interim Superintendent, Kim Lunger:

I have been in contact with our Charter School Liaison, as well as, begun the research as a team. Once I receive some concrete answers from Tallahassee, we will be able to provide direction for our students and parents. The four Charter School Principals met yesterday to discuss all possible avenues and scenarios, with the most urgent attention focused on high school graduation requirements and diplomas. Meanwhile, we will continue to put measures in place to ensure the graduation of our students, with or without our Charter's exemption from this vote.
Our municipal charter system is an extremely highly effective system with exceptional success regarding student achievement. We take great pride in the talent of our teachers and their ability to deliver effective instruction of the Florida State Standards. During this time, our schools are conducting business as usual, delivering superior instruction and caring for our students.

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