May 19, 2026 • 10 mins
Once again, the Florida teacher's union, the FEA, is suing the Florida Department of Education challenging school choice and vouchers. Erika Donalds, Founder of the Education Freedom Foundation, joined Preston.
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Speaker 1 (00:04):
All right, great to be with you for the third
hour of the radio program affectually known as Common Sense Amplified.
Now you doing ruminators? He's oaia, I'm Preston. It's the
Morning Show with Preston Scott Show fifty six o six.
But who's counting? Here's the headline. Teachers' Union sues Florida
(00:24):
Department of Education. Sorry, I'm yawning. Oh, we've done this before,
alleging constitutional violations and voucher and charter programs. To talk
about it with us is Erica Donald's. She's the founder
of the Education Freedom Foundation. Erica, welcome back to the show.
How are you?
Speaker 2 (00:41):
Oh, thank you so much for having me. I'm doing great?
Speaker 1 (00:44):
Should I be yawning? I mean, isn't this getting old?
Having to defend rightful actions on behalf of the tax
paying members of this state because of the teachers' union
getting their nose out of joint.
Speaker 2 (00:58):
That's absolutely the right reaction action when a teachers' union,
especially here in Florida, is suing to block one million
of our four and a half million students in the
state from being able to access the schools that are
working for them, chosen by their parents and many of
which that have existed for two decades now, talking about
(01:19):
charter schools, which they've included in this lawsuit as well.
It is a waste of time, waste of resources, and
it's really just them putting on a show to try
to act like they're doing something to stop the downfall
of the public education system, which they've had the most
influence over.
Speaker 1 (01:34):
Yeah, no kidding. You know, I used to run a
private school way back when. I mean we're talking thirty
plots of years ago, and that school existed Erica because
the public school system was failing in that community. It
was not offering a good education to all students, didn't
matter whether what the ethnicity was. That was just failing.
(01:58):
And I'm trying to understand why there are parents out
there that think they're being harmed in some way. If
you want your kid to stay in public school, let
them stay. So how are they being harmed to even
file a suit and gain standing.
Speaker 2 (02:14):
Well, this is what's so disappointing. You're absolutely right. We
believe in the right of every parent to select the
schools that they believe is best, and if that's a traditional,
government run public school, good for them. The problem is
that parents, six out of ten of them say that
they would choose something different than their zone public school
if they had the option, and Florida has stepped up
(02:36):
to the plate and given parents that option, and many
of them, as you know, or five hundred thousand have
chosen private school choice in the form of sometimes a
traditional private school, sometimes homeschool, or some other customized option.
And another four hundred thousand plus are in our charter
school system, which outperforms the traditional district run schools in
(02:57):
nearly every demographic, at every level, every subject area.
Speaker 1 (03:01):
Joining me on the program, founder of Education Freedom Foundation,
Erica Donald to Erica, I'm reading the complaint here that's
been filed with the Second Judicial Circuit. And before I
get it into deeper into that, is this circuit going
to be sympathetic to the arguments? I mean traditionally, does
this circuit give give voice to these unions and these
frivolous complaints.
Speaker 2 (03:22):
Yes, well, we know that that's what they do, right,
They forum shop so that they can get, at least
in their minds, a win at the very first level.
We know, however, that this Supreme Court, if it were
to make it all the way to the Supreme Court
is very different than any Supreme Court that's made decisions
on school choice in the past, including what is actually
(03:44):
held up to be one of the worst Supreme Court
decisions in Florida history, Bush v. Homes. The one silver
lining about this case is if it does make it
to the Florida Supreme Court, we could actually overturn that decision,
which I'm not kidding is used as an example in
our law schools as a bad decision. It's not even
about Republican versus Democrat. It is a terrible judicial decision
(04:08):
and precedent that absolutely needs to be overturned. It could
obviously get thrown out, and that's what many of us
would be looking to do because we don't want to
waste resources. However, if we can overturn Bush fee Homes,
that's also a benefit to the people of Florida in future.
Speaker 1 (04:22):
Eric is Stanbierkadonald's with us for another segment. We're going
to talk some more here about this lawsuit that's wasting
your money, and it's so ironic the teachers pay union
dues for this kind of political activism, and I've questioned
for the twenty four years I've done this show Why
are you doing it? There are other organizations. You don't
have to be belonging to a teachers' union to get
legal protections. If you're worried about that in your classroom,
(04:46):
you're just watching your money go to frivolous lawsuits like
this and political grand standing. Whether you are listening on
ter Ustrial radio and the Big Ben in Panhandle of Florida,
South Georgia, where you're listening across the nation and literally
(05:07):
around the world, we have listeners on iHeartRadio. Thank you
very much for joining us. I'm the Erica Donald. She
is the founder of the Education Freedom Foundation. Erica I
mentioned reading some of the statements here in the complaint,
and lawyer representing the union, Martin Powell, wrote that the
state of Florida is creating a system that is inconsistent
(05:27):
and unequal, one that inevitably leads to lower and uneven
quality of education across the state, and goes on to
complain that they're just you know, you can't do this,
that traditional public schools, charter schools vouch your programs. It's
just a free for all, and I would push back, No,
it's kind of the inversion of that. This is giving
(05:47):
parents the right to say, know what that public school
is offering is not up to the standards that I
want and I like the standards of that school. Isn't
that really what the freedom of education movement is all about.
Speaker 2 (06:02):
Absolutely, parents know their children best, and they love them
the most. They are the best people to make decisions
about how and where and by whom their children are educated.
We know that despite the fact that a positive correlation
between student performance and outcomes and school choice exists in
(06:23):
nearly every study that is done on this issue, parents
are increasingly making school choice decisions based on values alignment,
based on safety concerns, and so it's not even only
about academic performance, but it's about how parents see what
they want their children to learn, how they want their
children to learn, and the values that they want their
(06:43):
children to learn day in and day out.
Speaker 1 (06:46):
Correct me if I'm wrong. You've studied this far deeper
than I have. But I would think that this creates
a better, more competitive market for teachers out there, and
that the presence of these arter schools and private schools
are in fact creating greater opportunities for a teacher to
be paid a better wage. Am I missing something here?
(07:08):
Or are teachers just being misled.
Speaker 2 (07:11):
I'm so glad you brought that up. I talk about
this as well. School choice is not just for students
and families, it is for teachers also, And at the
Education Freedom Foundation, we have an initiative called Starter School
Initiative where we're helping a lot of educators realize their
own dreams of starting a school or some other type
of creative education program. It is amazing what some of
(07:33):
these teachers are able to do and to create. Now
that parents have purchasing power, parents are consumers, teachers can
go directly to parents and say, here's what I have
to offer, here's my expertise, here is what I have
creatively put together for your student, and they can get
paid directly by those parents using the scholarship funds that
the State of Florida has passed and enacted. It is
(07:55):
going to create an innovative free market and education that
we have not seen in that industry to the detriment
of America, in the future of our country and our
state Erica.
Speaker 1 (08:04):
Before this became popular, when I first started this radio program,
school choice was just kind of a rumor. It was
almost a dream. You know, are we going to get
to that point. We were talking about it in very
kind of nebulous broad terms. But now that it's happening,
I remember one of the original arguments was, you allow
school choice, you will inevitably, when you get past all
(08:25):
the brush fires that the unions are going to set,
you're going to get to a better public school system
because competition breeds improvement. Are we going to see that
right now? I don't feel like we're yet seeing it,
because I feel like the public school system is wasting
resources fighting the private movement instead of embracing it and
saying how can we get better?
Speaker 2 (08:46):
We are seeing glimpses of it right when I talk
about this to people who really aren't involved in education
school choice, you know, you compare education and the progress
the innovation in the industry to every other industry in
America where we leave the world right in business and technology,
where free market can in competition can really invite those
(09:08):
innovative processes. In education, as we start to open this
up in Florida, we've seen hundreds of new providers come
into the space and offer their educational programs on the scholarship.
We've seen creativity abound. There's still too much red tape
to open a school or a micro school or get
approved on these programs, and we're going to start to
(09:28):
continue to eliminate that to really allow for that free
market force to take place. But I believe we cannot
recognize what education looks like in five years here in
Florida if we continue to lead on free market principles
in that space and offering parents all of the customization
that they want when it comes to the education of
their children.
Speaker 1 (09:47):
Eric, keep fighting the good fight. You've got a home
here anytime you want to chat it up. And I
appreciate your time this morning.
Speaker 2 (09:54):
Thank you so much for having me.
Speaker 1 (09:56):
I appreciate it. Eric Donald's with us and again founder
Education Freedom Foundation, And yes, the wife of Byrn Donald's
congressman from central Florida and wants to be the governor
of the state. I kind of get the idea of
what her initiative might be if she were to become.
First lady, I'm just saying now, she's sharp, She's always
been sharp with policy, and this is a really good
(10:22):
lane for her.
Speaker 2 (10:22):
All right.
Speaker 1 (10:23):
Seventeen passed the arm
All right, great to be with you for the third
hour of the radio program affectually known as Common Sense Amplified.
Now you doing ruminators? He's oaia, I'm Preston. It's the
Morning Show with Preston Scott Show fifty six o six.
But who's counting? Here's the headline. Teachers' Union sues Florida
(00:24):
Department of Education. Sorry, I'm yawning. Oh, we've done this before,
alleging constitutional violations and voucher and charter programs. To talk
about it with us is Erica Donald's. She's the founder
of the Education Freedom Foundation. Erica, welcome back to the show.
How are you?
Speaker 2 (00:41):
Oh, thank you so much for having me. I'm doing great?
Speaker 1 (00:44):
Should I be yawning? I mean, isn't this getting old?
Having to defend rightful actions on behalf of the tax
paying members of this state because of the teachers' union
getting their nose out of joint.
Speaker 2 (00:58):
That's absolutely the right reaction action when a teachers' union,
especially here in Florida, is suing to block one million
of our four and a half million students in the
state from being able to access the schools that are
working for them, chosen by their parents and many of
which that have existed for two decades now, talking about
(01:19):
charter schools, which they've included in this lawsuit as well.
It is a waste of time, waste of resources, and
it's really just them putting on a show to try
to act like they're doing something to stop the downfall
of the public education system, which they've had the most
influence over.
Speaker 1 (01:34):
Yeah, no kidding. You know, I used to run a
private school way back when. I mean we're talking thirty
plots of years ago, and that school existed Erica because
the public school system was failing in that community. It
was not offering a good education to all students, didn't
matter whether what the ethnicity was. That was just failing.
(01:58):
And I'm trying to understand why there are parents out
there that think they're being harmed in some way. If
you want your kid to stay in public school, let
them stay. So how are they being harmed to even
file a suit and gain standing.
Speaker 2 (02:14):
Well, this is what's so disappointing. You're absolutely right. We
believe in the right of every parent to select the
schools that they believe is best, and if that's a traditional,
government run public school, good for them. The problem is
that parents, six out of ten of them say that
they would choose something different than their zone public school
if they had the option, and Florida has stepped up
(02:36):
to the plate and given parents that option, and many
of them, as you know, or five hundred thousand have
chosen private school choice in the form of sometimes a
traditional private school, sometimes homeschool, or some other customized option.
And another four hundred thousand plus are in our charter
school system, which outperforms the traditional district run schools in
(02:57):
nearly every demographic, at every level, every subject area.
Speaker 1 (03:01):
Joining me on the program, founder of Education Freedom Foundation,
Erica Donald to Erica, I'm reading the complaint here that's
been filed with the Second Judicial Circuit. And before I
get it into deeper into that, is this circuit going
to be sympathetic to the arguments? I mean traditionally, does
this circuit give give voice to these unions and these
frivolous complaints.
Speaker 2 (03:22):
Yes, well, we know that that's what they do, right,
They forum shop so that they can get, at least
in their minds, a win at the very first level.
We know, however, that this Supreme Court, if it were
to make it all the way to the Supreme Court
is very different than any Supreme Court that's made decisions
on school choice in the past, including what is actually
(03:44):
held up to be one of the worst Supreme Court
decisions in Florida history, Bush v. Homes. The one silver
lining about this case is if it does make it
to the Florida Supreme Court, we could actually overturn that decision,
which I'm not kidding is used as an example in
our law schools as a bad decision. It's not even
about Republican versus Democrat. It is a terrible judicial decision
(04:08):
and precedent that absolutely needs to be overturned. It could
obviously get thrown out, and that's what many of us
would be looking to do because we don't want to
waste resources. However, if we can overturn Bush fee Homes,
that's also a benefit to the people of Florida in future.
Speaker 1 (04:22):
Eric is Stanbierkadonald's with us for another segment. We're going
to talk some more here about this lawsuit that's wasting
your money, and it's so ironic the teachers pay union
dues for this kind of political activism, and I've questioned
for the twenty four years I've done this show Why
are you doing it? There are other organizations. You don't
have to be belonging to a teachers' union to get
legal protections. If you're worried about that in your classroom,
(04:46):
you're just watching your money go to frivolous lawsuits like
this and political grand standing. Whether you are listening on
ter Ustrial radio and the Big Ben in Panhandle of Florida,
South Georgia, where you're listening across the nation and literally
(05:07):
around the world, we have listeners on iHeartRadio. Thank you
very much for joining us. I'm the Erica Donald. She
is the founder of the Education Freedom Foundation. Erica I
mentioned reading some of the statements here in the complaint,
and lawyer representing the union, Martin Powell, wrote that the
state of Florida is creating a system that is inconsistent
(05:27):
and unequal, one that inevitably leads to lower and uneven
quality of education across the state, and goes on to
complain that they're just you know, you can't do this,
that traditional public schools, charter schools vouch your programs. It's
just a free for all, and I would push back, No,
it's kind of the inversion of that. This is giving
(05:47):
parents the right to say, know what that public school
is offering is not up to the standards that I
want and I like the standards of that school. Isn't
that really what the freedom of education movement is all about.
Speaker 2 (06:02):
Absolutely, parents know their children best, and they love them
the most. They are the best people to make decisions
about how and where and by whom their children are educated.
We know that despite the fact that a positive correlation
between student performance and outcomes and school choice exists in
(06:23):
nearly every study that is done on this issue, parents
are increasingly making school choice decisions based on values alignment,
based on safety concerns, and so it's not even only
about academic performance, but it's about how parents see what
they want their children to learn, how they want their
children to learn, and the values that they want their
(06:43):
children to learn day in and day out.
Speaker 1 (06:46):
Correct me if I'm wrong. You've studied this far deeper
than I have. But I would think that this creates
a better, more competitive market for teachers out there, and
that the presence of these arter schools and private schools
are in fact creating greater opportunities for a teacher to
be paid a better wage. Am I missing something here?
(07:08):
Or are teachers just being misled.
Speaker 2 (07:11):
I'm so glad you brought that up. I talk about
this as well. School choice is not just for students
and families, it is for teachers also, And at the
Education Freedom Foundation, we have an initiative called Starter School
Initiative where we're helping a lot of educators realize their
own dreams of starting a school or some other type
of creative education program. It is amazing what some of
(07:33):
these teachers are able to do and to create. Now
that parents have purchasing power, parents are consumers, teachers can
go directly to parents and say, here's what I have
to offer, here's my expertise, here is what I have
creatively put together for your student, and they can get
paid directly by those parents using the scholarship funds that
the State of Florida has passed and enacted. It is
(07:55):
going to create an innovative free market and education that
we have not seen in that industry to the detriment
of America, in the future of our country and our
state Erica.
Speaker 1 (08:04):
Before this became popular, when I first started this radio program,
school choice was just kind of a rumor. It was
almost a dream. You know, are we going to get
to that point. We were talking about it in very
kind of nebulous broad terms. But now that it's happening,
I remember one of the original arguments was, you allow
school choice, you will inevitably, when you get past all
(08:25):
the brush fires that the unions are going to set,
you're going to get to a better public school system
because competition breeds improvement. Are we going to see that
right now? I don't feel like we're yet seeing it,
because I feel like the public school system is wasting
resources fighting the private movement instead of embracing it and
saying how can we get better?
Speaker 2 (08:46):
We are seeing glimpses of it right when I talk
about this to people who really aren't involved in education
school choice, you know, you compare education and the progress
the innovation in the industry to every other industry in
America where we leave the world right in business and technology,
where free market can in competition can really invite those
(09:08):
innovative processes. In education, as we start to open this
up in Florida, we've seen hundreds of new providers come
into the space and offer their educational programs on the scholarship.
We've seen creativity abound. There's still too much red tape
to open a school or a micro school or get
approved on these programs, and we're going to start to
(09:28):
continue to eliminate that to really allow for that free
market force to take place. But I believe we cannot
recognize what education looks like in five years here in
Florida if we continue to lead on free market principles
in that space and offering parents all of the customization
that they want when it comes to the education of
their children.
Speaker 1 (09:47):
Eric, keep fighting the good fight. You've got a home
here anytime you want to chat it up. And I
appreciate your time this morning.
Speaker 2 (09:54):
Thank you so much for having me.
Speaker 1 (09:56):
I appreciate it. Eric Donald's with us and again founder
Education Freedom Foundation, And yes, the wife of Byrn Donald's
congressman from central Florida and wants to be the governor
of the state. I kind of get the idea of
what her initiative might be if she were to become.
First lady, I'm just saying now, she's sharp, She's always
been sharp with policy, and this is a really good
(10:22):
lane for her.
Speaker 2 (10:22):
All right.
Speaker 1 (10:23):
Seventeen passed the arm
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