Traditional public schools in Florida will get no money from the state this year for additions or needed repairs to thousands of aging buildings, but charter schools will score big.

All of the state cash budgeted for school construction and maintenance is going to the independent, tax-financed charters favored by the Republican-dominated Legislature and Gov.Rick Scott.

The charter school operated for children of employees of The Villages, the Republican stronghold in north Lake County frequented by Scott and former President George W. Bush, is expected to receive about $1 million.

School district officials across Florida are bemoaning the Legislature's decision to cut traditional public schools out of PECO — the Public Education Capital Outlay program. The state's 350 charter schools will share $55 million, while the approximately 3,000 traditional schools will go without.

U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan today announced the award of two charter school grants, totaling $49 million, to increase public school options in Florida and New York. The Florida Department of Education and the New York State Education Department will each receive five-year grants under the Charter School Program state educational agency (SEA) competition, which provides funds to states to create new high-quality charter schools and disseminate information about existing charters.

“High-quality charter schools have an important role to play in the overall strategy of successful school reform,” said U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan. “These states have an opportunity to spread effective practices and provide public charter school choices for more students and parents.”

The purpose of the Charter Schools Program is to increase financial support and build a better national understanding of public charter schools, while expanding the number of high-quality public charter schools across the nation. In total, the administration will invest $255 million in fiscal year 2011 through several grant programs administered by the Charter Schools Program

President Barack Obama’s fiscal year 2012 budget request includes $372 million to expand educational options by helping grow effective charter schools and other autonomous public schools that achieve positive results and give parents more choices.