Deep Something

Birds of a Feather

October 7, 2026 B. John 217 Views 0 Comments Michael Owen, School Vouchers, Hillsborough County Schools, Ken Gay, LGBTQ Students, Danny Alvarez

This entry is in the series 2026 Elections

This entry is in the series Education

Ken Gay’s latest supporter graphic features Republican state representatives Danny Alvarez, Traci Koster and Michael Owen. Once you look at their education records, the endorsements require very little explanation. Alvarez and Koster backed Florida’s expansion of private-school scholarships and HB 1069, with its restrictions on sexual-orientation and gender-identity instruction and pronoun use. Owen has supported similar school-choice policies and legislation expanding religious expression in public schools.

The consequences of those LGBTQ-related policies are harder to shrug off as another Tallahassee culture-war hobby. Trevor Project research found that LGBTQ+ students attending schools with even one anti-LGBTQ+ policy reported higher rates of anxiety, depression and suicide attempts. Its 2023 research also found lower suicide-attempt rates among students with affirming school supports, including teachers who respected transgender and nonbinary students’ pronouns. Apparently, treating children with dignity has measurable benefits. Who knew?

So “birds of a feather” seems an apt description of the policy overlap. The same group supporting Gay has repeatedly backed moving education dollars toward private alternatives while supporting restrictions that fall particularly hard on LGBTQ+ students. The question behind the endorsements is worth examining: what does that agenda mean inside a public-school system charged with educating every child who walks through its doors?

Featured Politics Legislature Society Education County Commission

Jackie Toledo’s Romance With “School Choice” – Right Temperament for County Commission?

October 3, 2026October 5, 2026 B. John 279 Views 0 Comments School Vouchers, Jackie Toledo, Charter Schools, Public Education, Hillsborough County Commission, School Choice, Education Funding

This entry is in the series 2026 Elections

Jackie Toledo spent six years in the Florida House, where she repeatedly supported legislation expanding charter schools and private-school scholarship programs. Her voting record shows how Florida’s school-choice system grew during her time in Tallahassee.

The changes came almost every year. In 2017, Toledo supported legislation to expand charter schools and share certain local school construction funds with them. By 2021, she had also voted to create and expand the Family Empowerment Scholarship, broaden eligibility, and increase scholarship awards. Meanwhile, traditional public schools remained responsible for educating every enrolled child.

Now Toledo wants to serve on the Hillsborough County Commission. Her legislative record raises questions about her approach to public funding and local responsibility. The full article follows five years of education legislation and examines the choices she made along the way.

Society Education Featured Politics

Let’s Run A Real Education Experiment

September 16, 2026 B. John 215 Views 0 Comments Public Education, education policy, School Choice, Florida Schools, Education Funding, School Vouchers, Private Schools, Student Outcomes

This entry is in the series Education

Florida spends about $9,335 per public-school student through its main funding formula. Average private-school tuition is about $13,800. So before we decide private schools produce better results, there is a question worth testing: what would happen if public schools had comparable resources?

The comparison gets more complicated because public and private schools often operate under different rules. Public schools serve students with widely different needs, provide transportation and specialized services, and operate under statewide testing and accountability requirements. Private schools receiving voucher money have different admissions, staffing, testing, and service obligations.

Research does not provide a simple answer that one system always produces better outcomes. Some private-school and voucher programs show gains, others show little difference, and some have produced worse academic results. Once researchers account for differences in family income, parental education, previous achievement, and other factors, much of the apparent private-school advantage can shrink.

So the essay proposes a thought experiment: fund public schools at something close to average private-school tuition while keeping their public obligations intact, or run the test in reverse by asking voucher schools to educate students for the voucher amount under comparable standards. Maybe the real difference is not public versus private education. Maybe it is what happens when one kind of school is simply better funded.

Business Culture Economy Featured Politics Constitution Society Education Crack Pots

Some Things Should Not Be Run for Profit

September 15, 2026 B. John 327 Views 0 Comments education policy, public good, School Choice, Florida Schools, Education Funding, Educational Equity, School Vouchers, Public Education

This entry is in the series Education

What if the biggest mistake in Florida’s education debate is assuming schools should work like ordinary businesses?

Markets reward efficiency, control costs, and give consumers choices. Public education has a different job. It has to serve every child, including the student who needs far more support, the student who needs advanced opportunities, and the student whose family could never afford to buy those services on its own.

That is why I think the debate over vouchers and school choice has to go deeper than whether competition can improve some outcomes. The real question is whether K-12 education should be organized around market incentives at all.

In this essay, I look at what happens when we confuse efficiency with public duty, and why some things may work better when the goal is not profit, but making sure everyone is served.