TALLAHASSEE — Still trying to work out differences on key issues such as tax cuts and economic-incentives funding, House and Senate leaders have not made enough progress to begin formal negotiations on a budget for the fiscal year that starts July 1. “I’d say we’re making some progress, but we’re not there yet,” Senate Appropriations…
The Florida Standards Assessment is only two years old, but some state lawmakers are already looking for another option to test Florida’s students on what they’ve learned during the school year. Sen. Don Gaetz, R-Niceville, is leading the charge in the Florida Legislature to allow school districts to choose other types of standardized tests —…
We often hear the terms “good governance” or “effective governance,” but what exactly does that mean? Nearly everyone recognizes bad governance when they see it. Bad governance is when board members operate independently of each other. We see bad governance when board members try to control the superintendent and their staff. Board members practicing bad…
TODAY’S HAPPENINGS In the House Session: Bills on 2nd Reading: HB 7107 – Public Employees / Retirement by State Affairs – READ 2ND TIME; AMENDED; PLACED ON 3RDREADING FOR 2/24/16 Authorizes renewed membership in retirement system for certain retirees who are reemployed in position eligible for Elected Officers’ Class; provides for renewed membership in retirement system for certain retirees of…
STATUS REPORT ON EDUCATION LEGISLATION As background, it is important to remember that, in order to be passed, a bill must undergo 3 Readings. The 1stReading occurs with the bill is introduced and its title is published in the chamber’s journal. The bill then is referred to 2-4 committees/subcommittees for consideration – these are called the bill’s…
Under the guise of school choice, the Florida House is pushing ahead with three bad bills that would benefit charter schools and yet again damage traditional public schools. The priorities are upside-down, and the Senate should stick up for local control and a fairer distribution of tax money to public education. The first example of…
This Video Update features FSBA Executive Director Andrea Messina reporting on issues impacting the Legislature as we enter the last weeks of the 2016 Session, including a few education related bills that appear to be off the table for the rest of this legislative session. Ms. Messina also discusses HB 287 / SB 434 relating to…
TAMPA — The validity of the test, the way it’s graded and the way those grades are used have come under question by parents and educators since the new Florida Standards Assessment debuted last year. Still, students across the state are preparing to take the exam a second time at the end of this month and…
An assortment of education measures — several with significant effects on Florida’s public education system — easily passed the state House on Thursday, mostly along party lines. The approved bills, deemed priorities for the Florida House, include one that would allow parents to send their children to any public school in the state that has…
Public records advocates won support on Wednesday for an amendment that defuses their concerns over a controversial bill targeting people who attempt to misuse the state’s public records laws to extort money from the government. The compromise, worked out between the First Amendment Foundation, the League of Cities and the bill’s sponsor, Sen. René Garcia,…