June arguments set in long-running education fight
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (NEWS SERVICE FLORIDA) - The 1st District Court of Appeal will hear arguments June 11 in a battle about the constitutionality of a controversial 2017 education law.
The court issued orders last week scheduling arguments in two cases filed by county school boards that challenged the law --- which became known in the education world by the shorthand “HB 7069.”
The school boards contend that the law is unconstitutional because it intrudes on the decision-making powers of local school districts and creates a public-school system that is not uniform. The cases, which have been consolidated for oral arguments, focus heavily on parts of the law designed to boost charter schools, including the creation of what were dubbed “schools of hope.”
Leon County Circuit Judge John Cooper last year upheld the law, spurring the school boards to take the case to the Tallahassee-based appeals court. Former House Speaker Richard Corcoran, who is now the state education commissioner, spearheaded passage of the law.
The News Service of Florida contributed to this report.