Jim Horne carries the water for "Jeb!" on education issues; the Palm Beach Post editorial Board issues a report card on his tenure thus far:
The list of mistakes by Florida Education Commissioner Jim Horne keeps growing toward career-ending proportions. Incompetence and ideological blindness have dominated the list. The new entry is unethical behavior.
The Post reported last week that before Mr. Horne became commissioner in 2001, he allowed his accounting firm to take tens of thousands of dollars in fees to audit two charter schools' books while he was lobbying for the schools. The twin roles created a conflict of interest because the firm, as lobbyist, would have done better if the firm, as auditor, had found that the schools were financially sound. Eventually, the Duval County School Board shut down the schools for financial mismanagement. Mr. Horne, at the time a state senator, also touted his political connections when soliciting business and when lobbying school districts to give his firm's clients more money.
Further, Mr. Horne has a bad or convenient memory. He told The Post that he did not know how Empowering Young Minds Academy, one of the charter schools, had become a client. In fact, Mr. Horne wrote to the school's principal on his firm's letterhead, advising her that he had been central in writing charter legislation and saying, "I will call you in the next two weeks to discuss how we can help you." The principal later wrote that the school hired Mr. Horne's firm because it wanted "a company that was known to the state of Florida."
Aside from his ethics problem, Mr. Horne's biggest failure as a supposed advocate for Florida's public schools has been to meekly agree to Gov. Bush's starvation budgets. Not that Mr. Horne, with a $231,000 salary, has to starve. But what, exactly, does Mr. Horne do to earn his money?
Jebbite Mike Thomas Blows A Gasket -Bob Dole was right in 1996. Teachers unions are wrecking schools. Busting them would do more for education than shrinking classes. "Pay teachers according to value of each".
The sometimes entertaining Mike Thomas has long been a "Jeb!" sycophant and GOP parrot, with only the occasional deviation to keep up a pretense of independence. but with uninformed rants like his column today, he has established himself as just another anti-union company hack. That ought to work to his benefit at the Tribune Company, which is prone to "Send in the scabs".
In recent weeks, Thomas has been a mouthpiece for right wing "researchers. We have previously discussed Manhattan Institute "researcher, Jay Greene, a Thomas favorite. Today, Thomas trots out Harvard Professor Caroline M. Hoxby for the proposition that teachers unions "raise the cost of education by raising teacher salaries. But there has been no corresponding increase in student achievement."
Even assuming Thomas accurately paraphrases the so-called "study" (which is not named), Ms. Hoxby - like Greene - is hardly the place to derive one's opinion of labor unions, or much else for that manner. Consider:
Duke University professor Helen Ladd and other analysts have questioned Hoxby's conclusions. In a study published earlier this year, Ladd observed that other researchers "have used better data and alternative methods and have found no positive effects on public school achievement from competition from private schools."30
Ms. Hoxby apparently has a problem with crazy ideas like "living wages". Not surprising, given her background, Hoover Institution ties, and and willingness to take money from the fair and balanced Olin Floundation.
"Jeb!"'s "Fundamental Nonesense" - Tallahassee Democrat Editorial page editor Mary Ann Lindley writes about "Jeb!"'s management style:
Bush's style of management appears to be that if he didn't know you from the past, if you're not a friend of a friend, a well-connected campaign contributor, or, this above all, if you don't come out of the world of business and promise to rush back to it before you're tainted by government, then you aren't on his radar. You're not respected or rewarded with raises and you're certainly not encouraged to get any big ideas.
In the world according to Jeb, big ideas come only from the private sector, though this is fundamental nonsense "Jeb's management style: a mess".
"Turnip-Heads In Tallahassee" -You can't get blood from a turnip, and when it comes to education, you can't get money from the turnip-heads in Tallahassee. The Legislature continues to underfund public education in Florida. "Lean Budgets, Lean Programs".
"Key Moment" Approaches In Senate Race -A flurry of new endorsements in Florida's U.S. Senate race seems to confirm that the contest remains a battle of niche-market candidates still looking for that big breakout moment.
But that moment may be nearing.
A quarterly campaign-finance deadline coincides with the end of this month, and it should show who among the four Republican candidates and five Democrats eyeing the race are catching fire with contributors. Meanwhile, the GOP contenders are picking over the remains of U.S. Rep. Mark Foley's candidacy in an attempt to land endorsements and new donors. "Key moment draws near in Senate race".
Rep. Feeney Claims He Doesn't Check His Brain At The Door . . . - Yet "[m]ost of the time, though, Feeney marches lockstep with his Republican Party." See "Feeney at home in House -- and speaker's office".
Martin Dyckman Writes That . . . "The [Florida] Constitution is exactly where tax reform belongs". And Dyckman is correct that Florida needs serious tax reform as part of the state constitution; without it, and in the absence of any courage or leadership from "Jeb!" (who cares only for his "no tax increase" bona fides) Florida be left with more brilliant ideas like this to raise funds to run the state.
About Health Insurance -
With the appointment of yet another blue ribbon panel dominated by Jebbites to solve, this time, the health insurance problems, the Gainesville Sun has a few suggestions about what the panel ought to know about health insurance in Florida:
- More than 2.8 million Floridians are without health insurance.
Hispanics are much more likely to be uninsured than whites, and young adults 18-24 years are the age group with the highest rate of insurance.
- Lack of health insurance limits access to health care.
Numerous studies show that people without health insurance are much more likely to forgo routine health screenings, delay seeking needed medical care, and are in poorer health than people with insurance.
- Affordable health insurance makes a difference in how many people have coverage.
A study conducted this spring in Miami-Dade County found that between 1999 and 2003, the rate of uninsurance among children aged newborn through 4 years was slashed in half (from 18 percent to 9 percent). This is likely because of the state's KidCare program, which offers affordable health coverage to the children in working poor families.
- Unfortunately, the state budget crisis forced a freeze on KidCare enrollment.
About 18,000 children are already on the waiting list, and experts project the addition of about 3,000 names per week.
- Most working-aged Floridians who have insurance obtain it through their employer.
Most workers who are offered coverage do purchase it; the problem is that many Floridians work for firms without insurance benefits. Small employers are less likely to offer coverage.