Pre-K education needs better funding<\/p>\n
Last week brought two stories that should be read together, not separately: only 44% of Florida children entering kindergarten are considered \u201cready\u201d (\u201cMany kids aren\u2019t \u2018ready\u2019 for kindergarten,\u201d Aug. 29)<\/a> and Orange County Public Schools is closing buildings because enrollment keeps falling (\u201cArea school enrollment down by 12,000,\u201d Aug. 27)<\/a>.<\/p>\n The voucher program isn\u2019t the only reason for that enrollment decline, but it is one of them. Under Florida\u2019s Family Empowerment Scholarship, any parent \u2014 regardless of income or ability to pay \u2014 can now receive a taxpayer-funded voucher to send their child to private school. About 60% of that money follows children into religious schools. And by the state\u2019s own data, 69% of voucher recipients were already enrolled and already paying tuition. For most of these families, the voucher isn\u2019t opening a door that was closed to them \u2014 it\u2019s a refund.<\/p>\n Compare that to how we treat the years before kindergarten. Florida\u2019s VPK program covers just three hours of pre-K instruction a day. Anything beyond that \u2014 extended care, a full school day, the hours a working parent actually needs \u2014 comes out of the family\u2019s own pocket, no matter their income.<\/p>\n We\u2019re often told that businesses should help fund early childhood education, since these are their future employees, and a strong start improves the skills they\u2019ll bring to the workforce years down the line. That\u2019s a reasonable argument. So here\u2019s the question I\u2019d like an answer to: if we\u2019re willing to use tax dollars to fund private, K-12 tuition for families who can already afford it, why are we not willing to do the same for the three, four, and five-year-olds who need it most?<\/p>\n \u2014 Alex Jimenez, Winter Park<\/p>\n Dems must focus on repairing institutions<\/p>\n In the 2022 midterms, the erosion of democratic norms stood as a top-tier concern for a vast majority of Democrats, but the party went full throttle on reproductive freedom after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade. Subordinating the deterioration of democracy to a social outrage issue, abortion rights, proved costly. By shifting their focus, Democrats missed a historic opportunity to send a message that a foundational threat to the constitutional framework will not be tolerated, allowing Republicans to regain control of the House of Representatives.<\/p>\n With the 2026 midterms fast approaching, Democrats appear to have made affordability their signature campaign issue. This strategy mirrors the exact approach that previously marginalized their power, inadvertently creating an opening for Republicans to subvert democratic institutions. Voter suppression, with Donald Trump seemingly leading the charge, is a prime example, and it may be the leverage Trump needs to advance his designs on absolute power.<\/p>\n \u2014 Jim Paladino, Tampa<\/p>\n Law enforcement\u2019s measured response<\/p>\n