TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WTXL) - Governor Rick Scott signed a controversial bill into law Thursday that impacts public education in the Sunshine State.
"Florida students have the opportunity to receive a great education," Scott said about House Bill 7069, which has drawn jeers and cheers in the Big Bend.
Florida Democratic gubernatorial candidates Andrew Gillum and Gwen Graham have spoken out against it, but the new law is welcome news to a Taylor County community.
Steinhatchee School qualifies for more state funding, thanks to an amended part of the bill regarding "small, isolated" schools, which are a certain distance away from the nearest school and serving a certain school population.
Janalea England, a Steinhatchee resident who studied and taught at the school, said the school was in danger of closing due to dropping enrollment, but locals got the attention of lawmakers to raise more awareness about expanding the "small, isolated schools" provision.
"Nobody is going to be able to close our school. It's safe, it's protected. The state is going to fund it," England told WTXL Friday, adding that the funding will essentially keep the school of approximately 60 students open. The school will add sixth grade in the fall, which indicates an expected increase in enrollment.
England said the school's potential closure would have forced students to travel to either Perry or neighboring Dixie County to get their education.
"You're talking little 4 or 5-year-olds getting on a bus -- for Perry, because that's 37 miles one way, we're talking about 5:30 in the morning," she explained.
In Leon County, the law will impact Hartsfield Elementary School, which has had a "D" grade for two straight years. Parents say the new rules could put the school in a tough situation.
"It forces a school like Hartsfield -- if Hartsfield has a third 'D' - to either close or be a district-managed charter," Marie-Claire Leman, a Hartsfield Elementary School parent, said.
Leman has two children at Hartsfield. She said the district has been carefully watching how the school is doing academically.
"There's just so much more that goes into making a good school a great school other than test scores," Leman said, "so, we don't feel like it's representative of the quality of our school."
Leon County Schools says it's "aware of the possible impacts" on Hartsfield Elementary and is awaiting direction from the Department of Education on the impact the new law will have on its other schools.
Leman said it's possible that five other Leon County schools could earn a second consecutive "D" grade, which would mean the district would need to implement a turnaround plan within a certain time frame, given the new law's conditions.
