Tampabay.com
JUNE 03, 2008

Tricks and chicanery

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Putting vouchers and the 65 percent plan in the same constitutional amendment is "just plain wrong," House Minority Leader Dan Gelber, D-Miami Beach, writes on his blog today in response to this morning's poll results. The poll found Florida voters were leaning against one of the voucher amendments proposed by the Taxation and Budget Reform Commission but leaning towards the other - with the difference being that the second one is hitched to an initiative, widely derided as a gimmick, that would require schools to spend at least 65 percent of their budgets in the classroom.

"While I recognize that Governor Bush (the invisible hand responsible for the measure) and others may be honestly passionate about school vouchers, it is less than honest and unbecoming for those given power and a public trust to intentionally try to trick voters," Gelber writes. "If former Governor Bush believes he is right on the merits and on principle, then he should support putting the measure up for a fair debate and an up or down vote, rather than resorting to chicanery to prevail."

Stay tuned. The latest round in The Great Florida Voucher Battle is just beginning to heat up ...

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Gradebook features education articles and insights on schools in Florida, focusing on Tampa Bay area schools. What's the latest from the Florida Department of Education? How is the FCAT being used to compare Florida schools? What's going in on in Tampa Bay schools? Get an insider's view from the Times education reporting team.

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Rebecca Catalanello covers Pinellas County schools. E-mail her: rcatalanello@tampabay.com.

Tony Marrero covers Hernando County schools. E-mail him: tmarrero@tampabay.com.

Marlene Sokol covers Hillsborough County schools. E-mail her: sokol@tampabay.com.

Ron Matus covers Pinellas County schools. E-mail him: matus@tampabay.com.

Jeffrey S. Solochek covers Pasco County schools. E-mail him: solochek@tampabay.com.

Kim Wilmath covers the University of South Florida. E-mail her: kwilmath@tampabay.com.

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