Twenty Years Later: The Jeb Bush A+ Plan Fails Florida’s Students

Published by Darcie Cimarusti

Betsy DeVos stated in 2018 that Florida’s educational system was a model for the nation. With large numbers of students enrolled in an unstable charter sector, nearly half of which are run by for-profit companies, combined with no less than four different voucher programs with one more on the way, Florida is poised to be the first state in which public education collapses. 

How did the deliberate and persistent destruction of public schools come to pass? For Floridians, politics and education have been intertwined since former governor Jeb Bush introduced the A+ Plan for reforming education in 1998. This report by NPE Action Board member Sue Legg traces the history of the Jeb Bush A+ reform movement, and explains why it deserves a grade of F. It will serve as a valuable resource not only for the Florida public, but as a cautionary tale for all who believe in democratically governed, public schools.