Senate Education Committee chairman John Legg said Thursday that his committee again will not meet next week, marking the effective death of several bills that had his panel as their first point of reference. Among the measures that generated the most passionate reactions but not getting hearings were related to requiring elementary school recess (SB…
TALLAHASSEE — In a near-unanimous vote, the House of Representatives on Thursday approved a bill that would mandate recess in elementary schools. Before the chamber’s floor session, advocates from around the state who have dubbed themselves “recess moms” held a press conference alongside Democratic lawmakers to push for the legislation, which appears dead in the…
The Florida House has approved several education bills changing everything from the way students can transfer to how how quickly they can advance in school. But some of those proposals face opposition in the Senate when they get there. Democratic Representative Steve Geller sums up his party’s sentiment about the education bills. “It’s a pattern…
1. Google defends use of student data: https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/education/wp/2016/02/16/google-says-it-tracks-personal-student-data-but-not-for-advertising/ 2. Should Computer Education Cover More Than Coding: http://www.npr.org/sections/ed/2016/02/15/465467155/should-computer-education-cover-more-than-just-coding 3. Math Abilities on the Rise: http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2016/03/the-math-revolution/426855/ 4. High Tech training in central Florida schools: http://www.orlandosentinel.com/business/technology/os-advanced-manufacturing-orlando-presence-20160215-story.html 5. Two new poems by J.R.R. Tolkien discovered: http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-oxfordshire-35585467
TODAY’S HAPPENINGS In the House Economic Affairs Committee: HB 1361 – Growth Management by La Rosa – AMENDED; PASSED WITH A COMMITTEE SUBSTITUTE (CS) Revises provisions regarding developments of regional impact; revises certain provisions regarding recommended orders & final orders. [NOTE: Today’s amendments authorize the governing body of a county to employ tax increment financing and provide…
TODAY’S HAPPENINGS In the House Education Committee: HB 343 – Public K-12 Education / Dating Violence by Jones — PASSED Provides short title for ch. 2010-217, Laws of Florida, relating to requirements for health education curricula & district school board policies on teen dating violence & abuse. HB 873 – Capital Outlay Funding / Special Facility / Charter…
Florida House Republicans again have set their sights on pension reform for government employees. A proposal automatically enrolling new hires in a defined-contribution plan Tuesday cleared its final House committee on a mostly party-line vote. The proposal by Rep. Matt Caldwell, R-Lehigh Acres, would create survivor benefits for first responders enrolled in the so-called investment/defined…
Sen. Don Gaetz, R-Niceville, is nearing the final push in a two-year effort to crack down on public corruption. Gaetz’s Florida Anti-Corruption Act of 2016 Tuesday cleared the Senate Community Affairs Committee with a unanimous vote and is one stop away from a Senate floor vote. Among other things, SB 686 prohibits legislators from accepting…
TODAY’S HAPPENINGS In the Senate Criminal Justice Committee: SB 408 – Juvenile Civil Citations by Altman – AMENDED; PASSED WITH A COMMITTEE SUBSTITUTE (CS) Requiring the establishment of civil citation or similar diversion programs for juveniles; providing definitions; specifying program eligibility, participation, and implementation requirements; providing exceptions; providing applicability; etc. [NOTE: The bill was amended with a…
Five Lake County schools are working this year to give students more personalized lessons, ones that allow them to move ahead faster, if they are ready, or to get more tailored help, if they are struggling. It is an approach that has won support from national education foundations, Florida lawmakers and the eighth graders in…