‘Parent Trigger’ Plan Falls Short Again in Fla.

For the second year in a row, a tie vote in the Florida Senate has meant defeat for a proposal to allow a “parent trigger” option in the state after such legislation passed the state House of Representatives.

The Senate voted 20-20 last week on the Parent Empowerment in Education Act, which would have allowed a majority of parents at a struggling school to petition to implement significant changes in the way the school was run. (There is no procedure for breaking a tie vote in the Florida Senate.) Republicans control both chambers of the legislature.

Supporters of the proposal, such as the Foundation for Florida’s Future, which is backed by former Republican Gov. Jeb Bush, argued that it would allow parents to have a much stronger voice in the educational process.

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But opponents, led by the Florida PTA and others, argued that such petitions would allow for-profit corporations to take control of public schools.