Lakeland board authorizes executive committee to draft new resolution on private-school vouchers, testing parity and flexibility

The Lakeland School Board voted to authorize its executive committee to draft a resolution responding to the state’s recent voucher scholarship bill and to communicate the board’s will to legislators during the current session.

Vice Chair Jeremy Burnett opened the substantive discussion, saying the board should press for parity in accountability: "One of the disparities is the fact that private schools are not held with the same standards ... I’d like to see ... reduced assessment standards and private schools to be held to the same standards," he said, arguing that unequal testing requirements create an uneven playing field.

Dr. Horrell, Lakeland’s superintendent, and board members described prior outreach to legislators and the limits of that engagement. Michelle Childs, the board’s legislative liaison, said she had asked legislators to require the same testing when private schools receive public dollars but that…