Commentary: We fight for neighborhood schools, Sublette says of lawsuit against HB 7069

Last week the Orange County School Board voted unanimously to join numerous other Florida school districts in petitioning the courts to declare recently enacted House Bill 7069 unconstitutional. The decision to join the litigation was not made lightly, and was made only after concluding that constitutional principles of a uniform, high-quality education and local control…

Miami-Dade school district agrees to join suit over controversial state education law

Miami-Dade joined a growing number of school districts challenging the constitutionality of Florida’s sweeping new education law.  At a School Board meeting on Wednesday, board members voted 8 to 1 to join litigation seeking to overturn portions of a bill some critics say was designed to boost the fortunes of the politically powerful charter school…

Civil Rights Groups Mobilize to Block Florida’s ESSA Waiver Request

A national coalition of civil rights groups want U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos to reject Florida’s soon-to-arrive waiver request that will ask to be relieved from key pieces of the Every Student Succeeds Act dealing with the nation’s most vulnerable and historically disadvantaged students.  Approving Florida’s request, activists say, will set a disturbing precedent…

Text messages reveal behind-the-scenes battle over charter school bill

A new education law that has inspired lawsuits from school districts and derision from teachers’ unions nearly fell victim to an intra-party feud in the Republican-led state Senate, as detailed in a series of text messages exchanged by legislators and their staff during the hectic final days of the 2017 legislative session. Read More

School Board votes not to join in lawsuit against the state

The Sarasota County School Board voted unanimously not to join in a lawsuit against the state for passing legislation that will direct tax dollars to charter schools, among other changes, though some board members were quick to explain they still don’t support the bill. Read More

Miami schools move toward joining lawsuit against state education law

The Miami-Dade School Board is one step closer to joining a growing number of school districts across Florida in challenging the constitutionality of a controversial new education law.  Board members on Wednesday directed their attorney to draft a plan that they can vote on at their next meeting Aug. 9 as to how exactly the…

Lots of questions but few answers on how to make state’s new education policy work

Every year, new state laws hit the books that have to be implemented once they take effect. But House Bill 7069 isn’t your average new law.  The sweeping, 274-page, $419 million measure that reforms Florida’s public K-12 schools spans dozens of changes in statute — some of which are complex and take effect at different…

Broward takes lead in challenging state law that benefits charter schools

The Broward County School Board voted Wednesday to sue the state over a new law that requires public school districts to share property tax revenue with charter schools and relinquishes their authority to approve charter applications. Broward was the first to take action, but other districts are holding similar meetings within the next two weeks,…

Florida Council of 100 Releases PreK-3 Recommendations 

The Florida Council of 100 has released The Horizons 2040 Project: PreK-3 recommendations.  These recommendations come as part of a long-term vision for education in Florida, and they will be followed in months and years to come with additional recommendations at Grades 4-8 and 9-12. Prior to the public release, the Council met with the…