Alabama: Scott Beaulier, chair of the Economics and Finance Division at Troy University, says there is a large body of evidence supporting vouchers but the U.S. Department of Justice and others keep getting in the way (AL.com). The Alabama Education Association spent $7 million to defeat school choice and education reform supporters (Associated Press).

Colorado: A new study on public school transfers shows middle- and upper-class students are more likely to request transfers to another public school than less affluent students (Education Week). ACE Scholarships releases a study on the impact of scholarships on students in the state (Ediswatching.org).

Connecticut: Education leaders in Bridgeport complain that the expansion of charter schools is hurting the district's ability to predict student enrollment and estimate a budget (Connecticut Post).

D.C.: District lawyers claim a charter school funneled millions to a for-profit company to do work that charter school officials were already doing (Washington Post).

Delaware: A new bill will allow the Delaware Board of Education to restrict charter schools to geographic areas and by grade and academic emphasis if the board deems the charters will affect nearby public schools (Delaware Online). Republicans propose a voucher program allowing full scholarships for Free and Reduced Price Lunch students and 25 percent scholarships for students in families earning up to $110,000 annaully (WDDE 99.1 FM).

Florida: Palm Beach County wants a special property tax to fund arts education but the new tax won't benefit the 13,000 students attending charter schools in the county (Sun-Sentinel). McKay Scholarships offer special needs students a way to find a different school that works well for them, but Fund Education Now, a group suing to enforce school uniformity, wants special ed students to have the exact same standards, instructions and method of teacher training at all schools (Sun-Sentinel). The state's graduation rate improves (Education Week, redefinED). (more…)

Alabama: A state judge struck down the tax credit scholarship program on procedural grounds while ignoring the teacher union claims that the program violated separation of church and state (Montgomery Advertiser, Education Week, AL.com, WAFF, Watchdog). Lawyers for the state and parents file a motion to lift the injunction against the program (AL.com). Parents and teachers react to the judge's ruling (WSFA 12). Judge Reese, who declared the tax credit scholarship program unconstitutional, is a Democrat and has thwarted Republicans on education issues in the past (AL.com). Katherine Green Robertson, a senior policy counsel for the Alabama Policy Institute, says the court decision was a political attack on students and school choice (AL.com).

California: Campbell Brown spotlights Vergara v. California, where nine students are suing the state over education policies they argue worsen quality (The Daily Beast).

Colorado: A group opposing education vouchers takes their case to the state Supreme Court (Chalkbeat).

D.C.: A proposed bill will make it easier for children of charter school teachers to enroll where their parents work (Washington Post).

Florida: The first proposed charter school conversion in Broward County awaits approval (Miami Herald). A group amends a 2009 adequacy lawsuit to include McKay Scholarships, tax-credit scholarships and charter schools as culprits for the alleged under-funding of public schools (Orlando Sentinel, redefinED). The Florida League of Women Voters release a report critical of charter schools (Jacksonville Free Press, Orlando Sentinel, Tampa Bay Times). Charter school advocates call the report "flawed" (Palm Beach Post). Henry Fortier, the superintendent of Catholic schools for the Orlando Diocese, says school choice doesn't pit private schools against public schools (Orlando Sentinel). Leaders in Pinellas County react to changes in the law including the expansion of school choice in the state (Tampa Tribune). School choice critics ask the governor to veto the new laws expanding school choice in the state (WJHG).

Illinois: The Chicago Tribune hosts a debate between school choice supporters and opponents (Huffington Post). The senate votes to require charter schools to accept special needs and English language learners (Sun Times).

Indiana: A group opposing vouchers and charter schools previews a documentary to teachers, union members and school administrators (Muncie Free Press). Enrollment at Indiana Cyber School doubles but the school is still in debt (Trib Town).

Kentucky: Jim Waters, president of the Bluegrass Institute, says charter school critics shouldn't focus on administrator salaries when some school districts have more employees making over $100,000 a year than the state capitol (Times-Tribune).

Louisiana: The last five traditional public schools in New Orleans close their doors for good (Washington Post, Joannejacobs.com). Gov. Bobby Jindal roasts President Obama over many issues including parental choice (Times-Picayune). The House votes 73-15 to allow students to transfer out of  lower-performing schools (New Orleans Business Journal). Test scores for voucher students improve (Times-Picayune). (more…)

Arizona: Former state Sen. Tom Patterson says school choice is opposed by unions because the unions feel school choice threatens jobs for adults (East Valley Tribune). An advancing bill will allow special needs kids to have access to Empowerment Scholarship Accounts without having to get approval from school districts first (Associated Press).

Florida: The tax credit scholarship expansion bill that was killed in the senate gets new life (Miami Herald). A bill that would allow education savings accounts and an expansion of the tax-credit scholarship program advances out of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on a party line vote (redefinEd, Orlando Sentinel, Miami Herald, WFSU, Associated Press, The Florida Current). There has been a genuine surge in applications for tax credit scholarships, so much so that processors stopped keeping a waiting list for fear of creating false hope. (redefinED). Valerie Strauss says there was never a wait list for the tax-credit scholarship program (Washington Post).

Lawmakers look to make opening charter schools easier (WPTV) and give charter schools access to unused school district buildings (redefinED). A bill to allow school choice students to participate in extracurricular activities at a local public school advances unanimously through three committees (redefinED). One out of every 10 students in Palm Beach now attend a charter school (Palm Beach Post).

Illinois: The Chicago Tribune editorial board says the state should expand charter school authorizers and not eliminate the new Charter School Commission.

Kansas: Republicans remove a tax-credit scholarship proposal from the education funding bill (Witchita Eagle).

Kentucky: The state senate passes a bill which would allow low-performing public schools to be converted to charter schools (Education Week).

Louisiana: The Lafayette Charter Foundation says charter schools are public schools (The Advertiser). Charles Lussier of The Advocate, says the state's charter schools have been strong performers but new schools in Baton Rouge must must be better.

Massachusetts: Hundreds of parents protest the expansion of charter schools (Boston Globe). Charter school supporters want to lift the state cap on charters (Salem News). A bill to expand the number of charter schools in the state fails to meet a deadline (Education Week, Milford Daily News). (more…)

Alabama:  Former Gov. Bob Riley becomes chairman of the Alabama Opportunity Scholarship Fund (Southeast Sun, Education Week). Step Up for Students President Doug Tuthill sets the record straight regarding false accusations about the program (AL.com).

California: Money may be the real motivator behind charter school conversions (Education Week, Hechinger Report). A man pleads guilty to stealing $7.2 million by establishing fake charter schools (Seattle PI). A charter school in LA partners with homeschool parents (Education Week).

D.C.: An official at the DC Charter School Board is accused of accepting $150,000 to help managers of Options Charter School avoid oversight (Washington Post).

Florida: More students than ever use tax-credit scholarships to attend private schools (Tampa Bay Times). The number of charter schools has tripled in Pinellas County over the last five years (Tampa Bay Times). Julie Young, president of Florida Virtual School, says virtual schools are sustainable and accountable (News Press). Florida Virtual School offers students flexibility if they need it (Watchdog). A Polk County charter school applicant appeals to the state, arguing the local district's rejection was arbitrary and "disrespectful" (The Ledger).

Georgia: School choice is more than just test scores (News-Times). Some Georgia lawmakers want charter schools to help pay for public school pension debt (Cherokee Tribune).

Idaho: A nature-oriented charter school becomes Blaine County's first charter (Magic Valley Times-News).

Illinois: Charter school critics in Chicago still oppose charter schools after the board takes community input from supporters and opponents alike (Chicago Tribune, Chicago Reader).

Indiana: The Fort Wayne Journal-Gazette gives former state superintendent of public instruction Tony Bennett an "F" grade.

Kentucky: School choice leads to more local control and more fiscal responsibility says Jim Waters, president of the Bluegrass Institute (Paducah Sun).

Louisiana: Columnist James Gill says private schools which teach creationism should be banned from accepting vouchers (The Advocate). The state auditor says vouchers do not ensure a quality education for students (Daily World, The Town Talk, Education Week). Gov. Bobby Jindal criticizes the Justice Department's report on vouchers and racial segregation (The Advocate). A school choice opponent argues that choosing a school is too difficult so it shouldn't be an option (The Advertiser). A group in Lafayette forms to oppose charter schools (The Advertiser). (more…)

Alabama: The National School Choice Week nationwide whistle stop tour is making a trip to Alabama (AL.com).

Arizona: The state superintendent of public instruction urges the state supreme court to uphold the constitutionality of education savings accounts (Arizona Daily Sun). District officials in Prescott worry a new charter school will take away its best and brightest students (Daily Courier).

California: Parents in Los Angeles are getting more active in education issues, thanks to the help of civil rights groups, and they are helping decide school budgets and make leadership choices (LA Times).

Connecticut: The Stamford area school district is looking to build a new magnet school to solve overcrowding issues (Stamford Advocate).

Delaware: The Indian River School District will be initiating an advertising campaign aimed at retaining students in the district (Sussex Countian).

Florida: Julie Young, the CEO of Florida Virtual School, says FLVS does not "flunk" in its job to teach kids (Tallahassee Democrat). Miami-area magnet schools don't provide a lot of information about themselves, frustrating some parents looking at school choices (Miami Herald). Florida's budget is going to get sandwiched by a growing number of students and retirees unless the education system can improve enough to produce a more productive workforce (redefinED). The city of West Palm Beach is looking to start and run its own charter school to attract residents but one journalist doesn't think that is fair (Palm Beach Post). The Hillsborough County School District recommends an initial "no vote" on a proposed charter school at MacDill Air Force Basel but the school board will make the final call this week (redefinED, redefinED, Tampa Tribune, Tampa Bay Times). Reporting news from across the pond can be tough, but the British newspaper reports "right wing" groups plan to push for vouchers in Florida (the state already has tuition tax-credits and vouchers for pre-kindergarten and special needs kids (The Guardian).

Georgia: The superintendent in Fulton County endorses public school choice for parents (Heartlander).

Indiana: Gov. Mike Pence wants pre-k vouchers (Indianapolis Star). (more…)

Alabama: The state files documents to dismiss the Southern Poverty Law Center's suit against the new school choice program (Al.com).

Florida: A new private school specializing in special needs education will open in Sarasota, with the state's McKay scholarship program funding the $11,000 to $17,000 a year tuition (Bradenton Herald). After five years of declining enrollment, Catholic schools in Palm Beach County are seeing a rebound in student enrollment (Sun-Sentinel).

Indiana: Former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice speaks at a church in Indianapolis and calls for more options for students (Indianapolis Star).

Kentucky: With nearly 10,000 students, the Catholic Diocese of Covington would be the third largest school district in northern Kentucky.  The diocese would like to see a tax-credit scholarship program for low-income students (Cincinnati.com).

Louisiana: The Department of Justice's lawsuit to block the voucher program is based on the enrollment of 570 of the 8,000 voucher students located in 22 districts under federal desegregation orders (Education Week, Washington Times, The Advocate). Gov. Bobby Jindal aired television ads slamming the anti-voucher lawsuit (Associated Press).

Maine: Three charter schools in the state claim success with their special needs student population (MPBN).

Mississippi: The state's new charter school board will operate on 3 percent of the revenue collected from authorized charters but the board has no charter schools yet and the state didn't appropriate a starting budget (Clarion Ledger, Fordham Institute).

North Carolina: The Charlotte area sees strong growth in charter school enrollment and has piqued the interest of more charter school operators (Charlotte Observer). Minority Democrats in the state legislature took a bold step supporting school choice, says Robert Danos, a former spokesman for the 11th District GOP (Blue Ridge Now). (more…)

Alabama: The Southern Poverty Law Center is suing to block the new school choice law under equal protections grounds (AL.com, NPR, Times Daily, US News and World Report). Essentially, they're arguing that if you can't help every child, you shouldn't help any child (HT to Jason Bedrick).

Florida: Step Up for Students, which administers Florida's education tax-credit scholarship program, received a $1 million donation from WellCare Health Plans, Inc. The contribution will fund 198 scholarships this school year (PRWeb).

Kentucky: U.S. Rand Paul (R-Kentucky) appeared at an event with the Black Alliance for Education Options and Democrats for Education Reform to promote school choice and charter schools (Huffington Post, Education Week).

Louisiana: Education leaders in Baton Rouge are reviewing applications from charter schools to see who might be eligible to use some of the $16 million available for capital and start-up costs (The Advocate). The U.S. Justice Department is trying to stop vouchers from being offered in any school district still under court ordered desegregation (Associated Press, Times-Picayune, The Advocate).

Massachusetts: School choice students in the Berlin-Boylston area won't be getting bus rides to school anymore (The Telegram).

Minnesota: Charter schools are feeling more pressure to participate in accountability rating systems (Hechinger Report). (more…)

Florida: Parent trigger fails again in the Senate with a 20-20 vote (Orlando Sentinel). Insiders say Gov. Rick Scott influenced some legislators to vote down the parent trigger bill (Sunshine State News). More from The Buzz. Florida Virtual School leaders say a funding shift that takes affect this summer already is having a negative impact on the program (redefinED). U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio visits Tampa and shares his plan for federal tax credit scholarships (redefinED). As private school enrollment declines, some operators are going charter (redefinED).

Louisiana: The state's voucher program will grow by at least 3,000 more students next school year, bringing the total enrollment to nearly 8,000 (The Times-Picayune).

Connecticut: Gov. Dannel Malloy leads a rally of about 150 students, parents and teachers to protect education budget cuts (The Day). A House bill allows low-performing school districts with charter schools to count their test scores in exchange for support (The CT Mirror).

Washington, D.C.: About 22,000 students are on a wait list for public charter schools (Washington Examiner). Charter advocates ask district officials for uniform per-student funding (The Washington Post).

Arizona: The state is one of the nation's leaders for school choice, ranking sixth in a report by the Center for Education Reform (The Arizona Republic).

Texas: The House approved a measure that will allow 10 new charter school operators in two years, with 10 additional charters each year up to a maximum of 275 (The Dallas Morning News). (more…)