![Palm Beach County Public Schools is suing the Florida Department of Education and other state education officials over the constitutionality of House Bill 7069, a controversial and sweeping education reform law the Republican-led Legislature passed in the spring. [Miami Herald file photo]](https://www.tampabay.com/resizer//9ucmfg0t-JczirP_UXSJvY7a1oY=/426x0/smart/filters:format(webP)/arc-anglerfish-arc2-prod-tbt.s3.amazonaws.com/public/HATVJQLSO5BAJNUSUCGOYRVLKE.jpg "Palm Beach County Public Schools is suing the Florida Department of Education and other state education officials over the constitutionality of House Bill 7069, a controversial and sweeping education reform law the Republican-led Legislature passed in the spring. [Miami Herald file photo]")
The legal war has officially begun over a highly controversial, charter school-friendly education law Republican state lawmakers pushed through last spring.
Palm Beach County School Board members filed a lawsuit this week challenging the constitutionality of one part of House Bill 7069. Another, potentially more far-reaching lawsuit with the backing of at least 14 other school districts — including Miami-Dade and Broward counties — is still expected in the weeks ahead.
Meanwhile, charter school advocates are rallying their forces, too — vowing to fight in defense of HB 7069 in the courtroom and also on the political battlefield.
Among the weapons they’re preparing: A coordinated public relations campaign highlighting school districts’ spending, and fielding — and funding — challengers to school board members statewide who face re-election in 2018 and who have been critical of HB 7069.
“We’re developing a plan and we’re going to be very aggressive,” said Ralph Arza, a former Miami-Dade Republican lawmaker who is now the government affairs director for the Florida Charter School Alliance.
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