Not much, actually. The Florida House and Senate have different proposals on 2015-16 school spending, each of which differs slightly from what Gov. Rick Scott requested. But discussions to reach consensus haven’t begun. Ruth Melton from the Florida School Boards Association described it best in her daily update to members: Normally, at this point in…
When the first session under Republican rule ended, House Speaker Daniel Webster and Senate President Toni Jennings sat at a tiny table in the Capitol rotunda and Gov. Lawton Chiles poured orange juice for their toast to a new political era. It wasn’t that everybody agreed with the two Orland Republicans presiding over the Legislature.…
In a calculated and largely fireworks-free markup of a bipartisan Elementary and Secondary Education Act rewrite, members of the U.S. Senate education committee approved the measure 22-0 Thursday amid much back-slapping and promises to continue working across the aisle. “The vote today is about how we conducted this markup,” said Sen. Lamar Alexander, R-Tenn., the chairman…
The Independent Benefits Council (IBC) earned high marks for its School Employee Saver campaign website and contests on Thursday at the annual Florida Public Relations Association (FPRA) Capital Chapter Image Awards, winning an Image Award and an Award of Distinction, respectively. The IBC brings together the Florida Education Association, the Florida Association of School Administrators,…
TODAY’S HAPPENINGS In the Senate Appropriations Committee: SB 154 – Hazardous Walking Conditions by Hays – AMENDED AND PASSED WITH A COMMITTEE SUBSTITUTE (CS) Revising criteria that determine a hazardous walking condition for public school students; requiring a district school board to correct hazardous walking conditions and provide transportation to students who would be subjected…
A proposal that would allow students to attend one school but play sports for another narrowly passed a Senate education panel Wednesday. The measure (SB 1480) passed the state Senate pre-k-12 education committee on a 6-5 vote. Similar House legislation (HB 7137) was approved last month and is headed to the House floor. Among other…
BUDGET UPDATE Normally, at this point in the legislative session, budget conference committees would be working on resolving differences between the House and Senate budget bills. However, negotiations have been at a stand-still for a few weeks due to a significant disagreement between the House and Senate on funding for the Low Income Pool (LIP),…
Gov. Rick Scott on Tuesday signed a sweeping education bill aimed at reducing the testing requirements for public schoolchildren. In addition to eliminating an 11th grade English exam and capping the amount of time students can spend taking state-mandated tests, the bill (HB 7069) delays the release of school grades and teacher evaluations until the…
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Today, during a meeting of Florida’s Cabinet, Governor Rick Scott recognized eight outstanding educators from around the state for their contributions to educating Florida students with Governor’s Shine Awards. The Governor’s Shine Award is presented to educators and administrators in Florida who make significant contributions to the field of education. Governor Scott…
UPDATE ON THE ASSESSMENT AND ACCOUNTABILITY BILL – SB 7069 Today, Governor Scott signed HB 7069 into law. The bill addresses many of the concerns that have been raised by school board members, superintendents, educators and parents about the state’s accountability and assessment system. We have not completed our detailed analysis of the bill, but…