After nearly two months of negotiating behind closed doors, Sens. Lamar Alexander, R-Tenn., and Patty Murray, D-Wash., the chairman and ranking member of the education committee, appear to be nearing consensus on major pieces of a bipartisan draft to overhaul the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, according to sources. In what seems to be a…
For the eighth time in 12 years, Florida lawmakers are looking to roll back voters’ wishes for smaller class sizes. Backed by school districts that struggle annually to meet the strict caps, the Legislature is poised to end penalties for school districts when classes get too big. Instead, fines would apply when schools don’t reach…
The state Senate vote 32-4 to approve a measure that aims to reduce the number of tests students in Florida’s public schools take each year. The move came after several hours of fiery debate and promises from lawmakers that they will continue to evaluate the state’s testing and accountability system. “Several colleagues have come to…
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Responding to the ongoing backlash about Florida’s standardized testing, the Florida Senate on Thursday passed a sweeping bill that would place limits on the use of tests in the state’s public schools. The vote followed two days of debate during which some leading Republican senators said that the state had gone too…
Florida’s public schools should be able to start new school years as early as Aug. 10 — two weeks earlier than they can open this year — Florida Senate leaders say, agreeing to a plan already approved by the House. The reason it changed was a grass roots effort in South Florida by a group…
After weaving its way through several committees and hours of debate on the Senate floor, a bill to limit standardized testing in Florida was finally approved by the Senate on Thursday, passing 32-4. SB 616, sponsored by Sen. John Legg, R-Lutz, cuts back on statewide standardized testing and would completely eliminate the required 11th-grade Florida…
This Video Update features Bill Graham discussing the legislative process as we enter the second half of the legislative session. In addition, there is a brief update on the education budget and some of the obstacles outside the education funding areas that legislators will need to negotiate before they can agree on a state budget. Finally,…
TODAY’S HAPPENINGS In the House Judiciary Committee: HB 19 – School Safety by Steube — PASSED Permits school superintendent, with approval of the school board, to authorize school safety designee to carry concealed weapon or firearm on school property; provides requirements for school safety designees; provides exception to prohibition on possession of firearms or other…
TALLAHASSEE — The Florida Senate took a critical step Wednesday toward temporarily suspending school grades in response to the outcry statewide among parents, teachers and superintendents who want a smoother transition as the state shifts to new standards and tests. The Senate added a provision to its sweeping testing bill (SB 616) that would require…
More than 25 of the 49 booster clubs that support Escambia County schools are not in compliance with federal tax regulations. David Bryant, Escambia County School District director of internal auditing, said a review of the status of Outside Support Organizations (OSOs) revealed that 18 booster clubs had never applied for tax-exempt status, and eight…