“Competition doesn’t weaken public schools. Complacency does”
I’m a public school superintendent in Florida. And I believe in school choice. Some people find that surprising.
They shouldn’t.
I believe in free markets and I believe competition makes everyone better.
Florida has given parents real power to choose where their children learn. Charter schools, private schools, virtual options, scholarships that follow the child.
I don’t see that as a threat to public education. I see it as the push public education needed.
When a business knows its customers can leave, it gets better. It listens. It innovates. It earns loyalty instead of assuming it.
Our customers are students and parents. And in my district, we compete for them every day.
That means:
→ Building programs families can’t find anywhere else
→ Responding to parents like their time and trust matter
→ Measuring ourselves by whether families choose to stay
→ Never treating an enrollment as something we’re owed
